TorahBytes: Some Things Are Just No Big Deal (Tazri'a)

If a man’s hair falls out from his head, he is bald; he is clean. (Vayikra / Leviticus 13:40)

This week's Torah portion contains a statement which at first may seem a little out of place. Yet it actually helps us gain some understanding of God's perspective of life. The context in which this statement is found is one which addresses the issue of leprosy and leprosy-type diseases. Here we are given very specific details regarding how a priest was to determine whether or not a person was infected with a leprous disease, which would result in that person being quarantined for as long as they had it.

To avoid false diagnoses the passage includes a few skin conditions that could have been taken to be serious, but were to be of no concern. Their similarity to the serious ailments clearly justifies their inclusion. Thankfully having a condition similar to the real thing did not result in the same course of action as having the real thing.

The statement about baldness was likely included since losing one's hair could be a symptom of a leprous condition. But the statement tells us in no uncertain terms that simply going bald with no other symptoms, is no big deal.

Maybe baldness is a big deal to you. I know it is for some - at least from a vanity point of view. But regarding personal health, spiritual matters, or the welfare of the community, it is nothing to be concerned about.

Like baldness, many things that happen to us in life are no big deal. Yet some people think that everything that happens to us is for a reason. They try to look behind every circumstance and figure out its significance. Certainly many thing do happen for a reason. I myself have experienced many unusual situations that appeared to be due to the activity of God. Sometimes the reasons for these things were obvious, other times not. But unless God makes those reasons clear, who am I to guess what is going on behind the scenes of my life? And perhaps there isn't a reason for everything after all.

There are certain things that happen to us, like going bald, that are for no reason. You might be going through some normal body changes that are really bothering you, but are simply due to getting older. Maybe you aren't looking for some grandiose meaning behind this. Maybe you just don't like it and it has become a much bigger deal than it needs to be.

This is not to say that there are not things in life that should not be taken seriously, whether they be certain medical conditions that require attention or circumstances through which God is seeking to speak to you. But at the same time, there are a great many other things that are no big deal. The sooner we realize that, the sooner we will be able to focus on the things of life that are truly important.

TorahBytes: Risk (Shemini / Parah)

Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them. And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. (Vayikra / Leviticus 10:1,2; ESV)

I recently read a biography of David Livingstone, the great explorer and missionary to Africa of the 19th century. Livingstone was an extreme risk taker. He was the original "to go where no man has gone before" kind of guy. The fascinating thing about Livingstone was his natural (or supernatural) survival skills. He was truly made for risk. Though it might be more correct to say, "made for adventure." His ability, however derived, to courageously face danger effectively equipped him for his calling to open up Africa to the bringing of the Good News.

It seems to me that there are many people that possess within themselves something similar to Livingstone that allows them not to be intimidated by danger. So they freely and often take risks. These risks might be for some great cause like that which motivated Livingstone or people who do search and rescue operations. But this same thing that enables these people to engage in important, essential risky tasks also allows them to take foolish risks that may result in disaster for themselves and others.

Take Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, for example. For some reason they had no hesitation in approaching the God of the Universe in an unauthorized way, which cost them their lives. It is important to note that these two men had already experienced the reality of God, so their actions did not stem from complete ignorance. They had seen what God had done in sending the plagues to deliver the people of Israel from Egypt as well as his other mighty acts. They were even part of the group that fellowshipped with God on Mt. Sinai (Shemot / Exodus 24:9-11). Perhaps it was that experience that contributed to the lack of caution which led to their deaths. Regardless of the reason, they were not reasonably cautious in making sure to approach God in a prescribed way and, as a result, they died.

I may be wrong, but I get the impression that risk taking is on the rise. I am not necessarily referring to people who are true adventurers in the vein of David Livingstone, but simply risk taking. The emergence of extreme sports, survival camping, and street racing, are signs of this. In addition there is also a rise in risky moral behavior. More and more people are taking risks with death.

This is also evident among Bible believers. By this I don't mean that followers of Yeshua are engaged in extreme sports more than ever. That might be, but more and more people who claim to be followers of God in Yeshua are taking risks similar to Nadab and Abihu. Referring to God as a buddy, being ignorant of the Scriptures, and acting morally irresponsible are like Nadab and Abihu's offering: - unauthorized! No matter how much you worship, no matter how spiritual you might seem, conducting yourself in ways that have not been authorized by God may cost you your life.

That's a risk you can't afford to take.

TorahBytes: Taking a Lesson from Purim (Zav)

And Mordecai recorded these things and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, obliging them to keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same, year by year, as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and gifts to the poor. (Esther 9:20-22; ESV)

The festival of Purim, also called "the festival of Esther," begins the evening of Thursday, March 20. Purim commemorates the remarkable "turning of the tables" on the enemies of the Jewish people while living in Persia over five hundred years prior to the coming of the Messiah. A chief official named Haman held a grudge against the Jews due to his hatred of one Jewish man named Mordecai, because Mordecai refused to bow to him. Haman devised a law to allow the Persian people to annihilate the Jews on a particular day. That day was selected through the casting of lots. The word for lots in Hebrew is "purim," from which the name of the festival is derived.

While this was brewing, God had been working behind the scenes for his people's protection. Mordecai’s close relative, Hadassah (also called, Esther) was chosen to be the King of Persia's new queen. When the news about the day of destruction was announced, Mordecai sent word to Esther to speak to the king on their people's behalf. Esther agreed even though to approach the king without an invitation could result in death, even for a queen. As it turned out, the king treated her favorably, and when he heard of Haman's evil plot, he had him executed.

As for revoking the law concerning the destruction of the Jews, that was another matter. The Persians had an established custom that laws could not be revoked. Instead, an additional law was established giving the Jews the right to defend themselves on the dreaded day. There is a big difference between being helpless victims facing government-sanctioned genocide and being given the right to defend oneself. Needless to say the Jews overcame their enemies yet again, resulting in what has become one of the most joyful celebrations of the year.

Do you see the parallel for us today? Those of us who belong to God through faith in Yeshua and truly seek to follow him face adversity. More than ever Bible believers are hated by the society at large. There are forces at work to silence the Bible's message. These forces don't just function in the society, but also in our faith communities. Those who speak against the pressure for believers to conform to the spirit of the age are ignored or silenced.

Years ago I heard a sermon on the topic of "Judging". Yeshua's words, "Judge not, that you be not judged" (Matthew 7:1), were used to silence detractors in the congregation. The reasoning went something like this: If you judge others, then God will judge you. To criticize someone else's opinion is judging them. Therefore don't criticize others, which means don't disagree with what you are told by the leaders, because if you do, God will judge you. This kind of teaching effectively muzzles anyone who would have an opinion other than the one being dictated by the leaders. I would go so far as to call this spiritual abuse.

As I have looked at some of what is going on among Bible believers today, this message is common. It may or may not be taught so explicitly, but interacting with the teaching of God's Word is not encouraged. Everyone is simply expected to conform to whatever is being taught, even though the Bible encourages us to discern truth and even judge public messages (Acts 17:11; 1 Corinthians 14:2).

I have the impression that there are people sitting listening to bad teaching who know better, yet don't say anything about it, buying into the lie that this is what Yeshua would have them do. They simply accept the way things are. That's what it would have been like for the Jews of Esther's day if the law to defend themselves was not established. They would have been slaughtered by their enemies with no opportunity to defend themselves.

Those of us who allow ourselves, our families, and our friends to be oppressed by evil and foolishness in the name of Bible teaching are like the Jews of Esther's day who may not have known about the law to defend themselves. We think we are not allowed to speak up to defend our spiritual well being out of a wrong notion of what judging really is.

I am not calling for physical violence against heresy. There is a way to speak up in keeping with godliness. But we no longer need to be victimized by false teaching.

What a day of celebration it will be when those who know their God again stand up for his Truth!

TorahBytes: The Essence of Man-Made Religion (Vayikra & Zakhor)

Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice." (1 Shmuel / 1 Samuel 15:24; ESV)

While it is not popular today to believe in Truth, I do. Not only do I believe that Truth exists and can be known, I believe that God's only revealed and authoritative Truth is found in the Bible (Old and New Covenant Scriptures). I am aware that I don't understand everthing there is to know about God's Truth, yet, by his enabling grace he has led me to a significant understanding of his Truth, which includes an approach to the Bible that allows me to grow in his Truth effectively.

Logically therefore, according to my understanding, all other religions, spiritualities and philosophies are man made. You might think that all religions, spiritualities and philosophies including mine are man made. Or you might think they are all God made. Or you might think that your viewpoint is the right one while all others, including mine, are man made. Or you might think that Truth is some sort of mixture of a variety of things.

Whatever you think, this week's Haftarah portion gives us some insight as to the essence of man-made religion. King Saul had been told by God to completely obliterate the Amalekite nation - people and animals. As it turned out he decided to preserve the lives of the Amalekite king and the best of the livestock. When confronted by the prophet Samuel as to why he did not fully comply with God's directive, he at first tried to make it sound as if he did. Instead of destroying the animals as God commanded, he said that they were preserved in order to make sacrifices. It wasn't until after Samuel pronounced judgment on Saul that Saul confessed that his real motivation for preserving the animals was because he feared the people.

Saul put a spin on the whole affair because he feared the people. Instead of doing what God said, he did what the people wanted. He had more respect for the people's wishes, than for God's directive.

This is the essence of man-made religion. Man-made religions, spiritualities, and philosophies are derived out of a fear of other people.

The fear I am referring to may not feel like fear. When we do things that are derived from the fear of others, we may not feel afraid. In fact when we fear people, we keep ourselves from feeling afraid by making sure we do what they want. As long as we please the people that matter to us, we have nothing to be afraid of. When we fear people in this way, we are not fearing God. That's what was going on with Saul.

God's ways in the Scriptures often put us at odds with people and their agendas for our lives. There is so much pressure to go along with the crowd, whatever crowd we might be part of. For some it is about being respectable, for others, it's about being cool, for others, it's about the clothes we wear, or the music we listen to. But the God of the Bible calls us away from the pressure of pleasing others to a place of submission to his will, whatever that may mean with regard to our relationships. Interestingly it is only as we are able to be free from this kind of pressure that we can be a true blessing to the very ones we care so much about.

This doesn't mean that in order to have an authentic relationship to God we should do our own thing no matter what anyone else thinks. Biblical faith is one that is humble and is open to the input of others. But those who earnestly desire to submit to God point people to God and not to themselves, just as Samuel sought to do for Saul - which is also what I am trying to do for you right now.

TorahBytes: Kevod (Pekudei)

Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. (Shemot / Exodus 40:34,35; ESV)

In this, the final portion of the second book of Moses, we read of the completion of the construction of the Mishkan (English: tabernacle) The Mishkan was the elaborate tent-like structure which God directed his people to build as the center of worship for the nation. When the Mishkan was completed, we are told that the special cloud that had been guiding and protecting the people during their wilderness travels, covered it and God's glory filled it. This was not simply a fog or a mist, since we are also told that Moses could not enter because of it.

Glory or, in Hebrew, kevod is a term that expresses the outward manifestation of a person's inner reality. The demonstration of what a person is really like is what is called their glory.

So when we read of God's kevod filling the Mishkan, the normally unseen reality of God was being demonstrated within the special cloud. While God is invisible, he never intended to be completely hidden from his people. He desired to make his presence truly known. The God of the Torah is not simply a concept of higher thinking or consciousness through which the Jewish people could rise above the surrounding cultures. The legacy of Israel was not to be one of philosophy or sophistication, but rather of the reality and presence of the one true God.

Through the revelation of God's kevod, he established that his presence was with his people. This occurred again centuries later when Solomon completed the temple, which was a permanent version of the Mishkan.

And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD. (1 Melachim / 1 Kings 8:10,11)

In a most tangible way God made clear that he was in the midst of his people.

But where is God's kevod today?

The prophet Ezekiel saw God's kevod leave Solomon's temple in the days of the Babylonian captivity (see Ezekiel 10). He did see it return, but to where? It was to a temple that has never been built (See Ezekiel 43). This temple that Ezekiel describes could very well be a spiritual rather than literal temple, which would be a reasonable explanation for some of its details.

The spiritual nature of Ezekiel's temple is underscored by the New Covenant's references to the community of believers as the temple of God in which his Spirit dwells (see 1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 2:21). It is in and through the lives of the Messiah's followers that God's kevod is to be manifested.

The kevod of God as seen in the Messiah was to be just as real in the lives of his followers. This is what Yeshua referred to in a prayer he prayed shortly before his arrest:

The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. (John 17:22,23)

God's kevod, his inner reality, was to be demonstrated in and through the lives of the Messiah's followers. The same kevod which guided and protected Israel in the wilderness, the same kevod which dwelt in the Mishkan and the temple, the same kevod which was seen in the Messiah is now present in his followers.

As we trust in the Messiah and humbly submit to his ways, the reality of God - his kevod - will be made manifest.

TorahBytes: Mirrors (Va-Yakhel)

They made the bronze basin and its bronze stand from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. (Shemot / Exodus 38:8; ESV)

The materials for the Mishkan (English: Tabernacle) were derived from the voluntary offerings of the people (see Shemot / Exodus 35:4-9). People gave of their personal possessions; no one was forced to. As it turned out, the people were so generous that Moses had to tell them to stop giving, since they had more than enough (see Shemot / Exodus 36:6,7).

In the midst of the descriptions of the making of the various articles for the Mishkan, we come to the verse I quoted at the beginning: "They made the bronze basin and its bronze stand from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting" (Shemot / Exodus 38:8). It is interesting that the source of the bronze used to make the basin is specifically mentioned, since for the most part the sources of the other articles are not.

Under the inspiration of God Moses gave us this detail. While the reason for it is not explained, the special mention of the source of the bronze does seem to demand our attention.

Personal mirrors have a unique function. They enable us to do something that otherwise is almost impossible: they allow us to see ourselves. I say "almost impossible," because we can also see our reflection in water, but the right kind of water surface is not always readily available. Mirrors are far more convenient.

Women in ancient Israel had mirrors most likely because they were concerned about their appearance. I will avoid saying that they were as concerned as women are today, since I don't really know. But the more I read the Scriptures, the more I discover how similar we are to the peoples of ancient times. Our technology has changed, but human nature has not. I know that men can be quite concerned about themselves, but without speaking for all women, it seems me that, in general, women are rather intensely interested in their appearance. Therefore we can assume that these mirrors would have been an important personal possession to these Israelite women.

God did not design human beings to readily look at themselves. This might be intentional. We were put on earth to serve God's purposes, not to cater to ourselves. We were designed to see others, to be aware of others. It is due to our sinful nature that we turn in on ourselves, putting ourselves first. So in order to focus on ourselves, we invented mirrors.

I am not asserting that mirrors are, in themselves, bad things. The point that I am trying to get to is that, at least at some level, they are a tool of self. My mirror is about me. Your mirror is about you. And that has been true from ancient times until now.

Getting back to the Torah, these women offered their mirrors for God's service. There was nothing negative about their having mirrors. But the object they offered was an object that was intended for self. Yet they gave it to the service of God, which in this case was for a basin for washing. Instead of holding on to something that would allow them to look at themselves, they gave them away, so that others could "see" God better. Instead of their seeing a reflection of themselves, their sacrifice enabled others to get a better glimpse of God.

It is when we give up our obsession with self, that the reflection of God can be more readily seen in our lives.

TorahBytes: Are You Trouble? (Ki Tissa)

When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, "Is it you, you troubler of Israel?" And he answered, "I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father’s house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the LORD and followed the Baals." (1 Melachim / 1 Kings 18:17,18; ESV)

The prophet Elijah (Hebrew: Eliyahu) lived during a very difficult time in the history of Israel. He was appointed by God to confront King Ahab. King Ahab was the most evil king of Israel to date (see 1 Melachim / 1 Kings 16:30). The intensity of his evil was partly due to his marrying Jezebel; a princess of the city of Sidon. It appears that she encouraged Ahab in the establishment in Israel of the worship of the false god Baal.

God sent Elijah to prophesy to Ahab of the coming three-year drought (see 1 Melachim / 1 Kings 17:1ff). After Elijah gave Ahab this message, Elijah went into hiding. For those of us from countries with ample water supply, it is difficult to fully appreciate what this means. At that time in history, the land of Israel was very dependent upon rainfall, even more than it is today. Drought inevitably led to famine, which meant national disaster. Lack of rain, therefore, would be understood as a sign of God's displeasure.

After the three-year period, we come to the interchange that includes what I quoted at the start. Ahab's first words to Elijah were, "Is it you, you troubler of Israel?" - an accusation which Elijah contradicted. He would not allow Ahab to transfer the blame for Israel's troubles from the true villain to himself.

But isn't Ahab’s accusation typical? True trouble makers will shift the blame for the trouble they cause to the ones who expose their bad behavior. I don't think one has to be a psychologist to understand what is going on here. What it comes down to is that real trouble makers don't want their bad behavior confronted. They want to do what they want to do without having to face the consequences. They will protect themselves by any means, which almost always includes attacking anyone who gets in their way. In this case, Ahab used blame shifting. He did so, because it is often effective. Elijah brought the bad news of God's judgment on the nation. Ahab may not have been the only one who put the blame on Elijah, when the real cause of the disaster was Ahab and his evil ways.

People whom God uses to deal with evil today are often the last people who want to make trouble. In fact, they want to speak up out of a desire to avoid trouble, not make more trouble. They care deeply about people and are sensitive to the consequences of bad behavior. So they speak up. And what happens? They are the ones who are called trouble makers.

This is enough to shut some down. They may even believe these accusations. At one level life seemed more peaceful before they spoke up. They forget what it was that originally spurned them on. They forget the origin of the trouble. They take the blame, and the real trouble makers continue as before.

If you are someone God has called to speak out, then you mustn't be afraid to do what Elijah did. He contradicted Ahab to his face by saying, "I have not troubled Israel, but you have...". If God has called you to speak, then don't back down. Don't take the blame for trouble you have not caused. Keep close to the Lord, and let him guide you as to what you should and should not say and do. Don't let your critics confuse and intimidate you. When the true trouble makers call you, "trouble," it most likely means you are doing a good job.

TorahBytes: Religion Can Get in the Way of God (Tezavveh)

There I will meet with the people of Israel, and it shall be sanctified by my glory. I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar. Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate to serve me as priests. I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God. (Shemot / Exodus 29:43-46; ESV)

This may sound a little strange, but one of the things that religious people seem to miss in their pursuit of religion is God. Yes, I know that they may refer to God regularly or perhaps incessantly, but the reality of God himself may be absent.

People that are committed to religion tend to fill their lives with religious activities. They regularly attend religious services and engage in religious activities, which may or may not include singing spiritually oriented songs, reading religious texts, praying prayers, and giving their money to support their preferred religious organization.

None of this type of activity necessarily engages God himself. Years ago a Chasidic rabbi told me that he didn't experience God personally. His way of relating to God was through the keeping of the mitzvot (Hebrew: the commandments). In his understanding, God through Moses had communicated what was expected of the Jewish people, and that was that.

I wonder how many religious people are just like that rabbi. They give themselves to whatever they think are their religious obligations and that's that. God is referenced but not actually known in any personal way.

It is popular among some Bible believers to deny that they are religious. They say things such as, "My faith is not a religion; it's a relationship." Let's not be fooled by our pithy slogans. Spouting a creed doesn't make it real. Denying to have the kind of spirituality that the rabbi clearly expressed, doesn't automatically mean that we are any different from him. Just because his type of religion is very structured and ours is less so, doesn't mean that ours is immune from the way religious activities can become the end-all of our so-called spiritual existence.

Through the Torah, God gave to ancient Israel clear directives regarding their religious life. It would have been easy to focus on those directives and lose sight of the God who gave them. But as we read these directives we see over and over again that it is all about God. We read at the start, "I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God" (Shemot / Exodus 29:45; ESV). Central to the life of ancient Israel was the understanding that the God who personally rescued them from oppression in Egypt lived in their midst. The keeping of God's directives was to be a response to God's presence among them, not simply the performance of rituals to support the religion.

This is similar to what a congregation of New Covenant believers would be told many years later:

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12,13)

The reference to "God who works in you" may be best understood as "God who works in your midst." The community was encouraged to live their lives with a sense of reverential awe, because God was in their midst. God's presence should have made a difference in everything they did both as individuals and as a community.

Please don't think that I am saying that the religious activities I listed earlier such as singing, praying, etc., are in any way undesirable for people who love God and want to serve him. But let us remember that these activities will only fulfill their God-intended purpose as we do them in response to him and his presence in our lives.

TorahBytes: Is the Torah for Today? - Part 2 (Terumah)

And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst. (Shemot / Exodus 25:8; ESV)

Last week I explained that while the Torah is generally thought of as the covenant God gave the people of Israel through Moses at Mt. Sinai, it is more accurately a way to refer to God's directives in general. For ancient Israel, from the time of the wilderness wanderings until the coming of Yeshua the Messiah, keeping Torah was synonymous with keeping the Sinai Covenant. But as for the rest of the world (except for those non-Jews living among Israel during the period of the Sinai Covenant), Torah has always been a more basic set of regulations. These regulations were understood by godly people of various nations prior to the giving of the Sinai Covenant. Since they apply to all people in all places, they are also included as part of the Sinai Covenant.

Any attempt to establish Torah on the basis of the Sinai Covenant today is a lost cause. Foundational to this covenant was the sacrificial system centered in the mishkan (English: tabernacle) and later the temple. With the loss of the sacrificial system in the year 70 C.E. the very basis of the Sinai Covenant was lost. The coming of the Messiah forty years prior anticipated the end of the Sinai Covenant era and the beginning of the Messianic New Covenant era as predicted by Jeremiah (see Jeremiah 31:31-34). It is this covenant that established the very things anticipated, yet never realized, by the Sinai Covenant: an internalization of Torah, an intimate relationship between God and his people, and the forgiveness of sins.

I closed last week's message by saying that the question we need to ask is not do we need to keep Torah, but rather what is the Torah we need to keep?

The New Covenant writings (New Testament) are instructive in this regard. It is within its pages that we learn how we are to live godly lives in light of the Messiah's coming. This in no way diminishes the importance of the Hebrew Bible. Far from it! The Hebrew Bible, including the Books of Moses, are God's foundational writings and the basis for the New Covenant. The Hebrew Bible provides us with an understanding of who God is and his purposes for the world. It informs us as to who we are as human beings, created in God's image, yet in desperate need of his restorative power. The Hebrew Bible teaches us that God is holy and that people, as his special creation, are to live accordingly, yet we are unable to do so. That is why he sent the Messiah to save us. Under the New Covenant we no longer relate to God on the basis of our need of restoration, but in response to it.

As a result, the New Covenant writings help us to discern God's Torah for today, which it does in two ways. First, it does so explicitly in that its pages are filled with very clear directives for godly living. Second, it also does so implicitly as it demonstrates how the Messiah is the fullness of what the Sinai Covenant anticipates. Christians who are enthusiastic about trying to adapt the customs of the Sinai Covenant to this era need to be careful not to undermine the reality of what Yeshua has accomplished.

The New Covenant perspective on Torah is well expressed through Jeremiah's prophecy, when he says "I will put my Torah within them, and I will write it on their hearts" (Jeremiah 31:33). Under the New Covenant the Torah of God (not the Sinai Covenant) has been internalized. The Sinai Covenant was an external imposition of a system to demonstrate to the world our desperate need of God. The New Covenant is the actualization of the restoration of God and the internalization of God's ways among those who participate in that restoration. We should not be surprised therefore that while there is significant continuity between the two covenants, there are also significant differences. Recognizing both the continuity and the differences is the key to discerning God's Torah for today.

TorahBytes: Is the Torah for Today? - Part 1 (Mishpatim)

Now these are the rules that you shall set before them. (Shemot / Exodus 21:1; ESV)

As I read this week's Torah portion I am so struck by the wisdom of God found in this list of rules. There are regulations for the prevention of abuse of slaves, how children should relate to parents, the protection of persons and property, issues of safety, making restitution, the loaning of money, and the treatment of foreigners. These directives, if followed, would make a positive difference in any society.

I find that among many Christians today there is a growing interest in the Torah, but also a lot of confusion. I am going to attempt to clarify what I believe to be an accurate New Covenant perspective on the Torah.

First, what is Torah? "Torah," traditionally translated "law," is more accurately "direction" or "teaching". It is God pointing us in the direction of life and steering us away from death. God's directives are his Torah. Therefore in its broadest sense, Torah is the entire body of God's revelation.

A more narrow definition is that Torah is the revelation of God given at Mt. Sinai through Moses. Because the revelation at Sinai makes up most of the first five books of the Bible, they are collectively called "The Torah."

In Judaism Torah also includes the oral traditions that apparently accompanied what is written in the books of Moses. This body of oral tradition is called the Mishnah and is referred to as the Oral Torah. But if we hold to the authority of the Scriptures (both the Hebrew and New Covenant writings), we have no reason to accept the Mishnah as Torah.

In the early days of the New Covenant era, there arose a controversy over whether or not the Torah in the narrow sense of the Sinai Covenant was obligatory for non-Jewish followers of Yeshua. After careful deliberation the leaders came to the conclusion that the Torah as a body of regulations contained in the Sinai Covenant was not to be imposed upon Gentile believers (see Acts 15:1-35).

This decision was made for two reasons. First, the Sinai Covenant was given to the people of Israel in particular. While it is true that, up until that time, non-Jews who became part of the community of Israel were obliged to keep this Covenant, the early messianic leaders understood that through the Messiah the reality of God was now moving out from Israel to the nations, and so they were no longer required to take upon themselves the Jewish traditions.

Second, the older system under the Sinai Covenant was coming to an end. Due to Israel's failure to live up to the Sinai Covenant's standards, God determined to provide a New Covenant; one that was not like the Sinai Covenant (see Jeremiah 31:31-34). The New Covenant book of Hebrews as well as some of the letters explain the contrast between these two covenants. Under the Messiah, the Sinai Covenant is no longer in effect. The destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem which occurred some years later, made the Sinai Covenant impossible and impractical. This didn't prevent Judaism from attempting to uphold a covenant which was already irreparably broken. Instead of accepting God's New Covenant through the Messiah, they chose a religion of their own making.

But that doesn't mean we no longer keep Torah. God's Torah is his directives whatever era we find ourselves in. The real question is not whether or not we are to keep Torah, but what is the Torah we keep? The New Covenant writings clearly emphasize our obligation to keep the commandments (Hebrew: mitzvot) of God. Yeshua said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" (John 14;15; ESV). It is not that there are no rules to follow; it's a question of what rules to follow - a question we will look at more closely next time.

TorahBytes: God's Government (Yitro)

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. (Isaiah 9:5,6 [English 9:6,7]; ESV)

We are in the month of January in a U.S. election year. This is the time when potential presidential candidates are vying for a chance to be chosen as their parties' nominee. Even in Canada, where I live, there is a great deal of interest in this process and its outcome. I don't know if this interest is due to the media coverage or if it is because of the significant effect American politics has on our country and elsewhere. I am pretty sure it is due to the latter, though the media certainly has a part to play.

Governments affect our lives. However one thinks about politics and politicians, governments affect us all. Governments set the rules whereby people within a society relate to one another socially and commercially. Governments have the responsibility to provide security and justice for those whom they govern and are called to protect the weak and the powerless.

Throughout history and around the world, there have been and are many different styles of government. Whatever one's political leanings, I am sure we would agree that few if any governments have ever pleased everyone under their rule.

While it seems some people follow the American nomination process just because it is interesting or entertaining, many do so in the hope that the coming election will produce a government more in keeping with their dreams of a better life.

Isaiah foretold of such a government. But his hopes and dreams were not based on his personal preferences or political opinions. He foretold God's vision of a better government.

Through Isaiah God provides us with a vision of a government of unending peace, justice, and righteousness. A King - a descendant of the great King David - would come and rule in such a way never before seen on earth - a way most people probably still don't think is possible.

Note the identity of this King. While coming into the world like a normal human being ("for to us a child is born"), he is actually God himself ("Mighty God," "Everlasting Father").

In the development of Judaism, this King, known also as the Messiah, was not thought to be God come to earth in human form as this prophecy claims. Yet the Scriptures speak for themselves.

That this prophecy has been fulfilled in Yeshua of Nazareth is significant as we anticipate the U.S. election or any election of any existing government. While elections and politics deserve our attention, we need to look at these things from God's perspective. Whatever human governments may do, God's government has already been established through Yeshua. Before he ascended to heaven to take his place at God's right hand, he said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Matthew 28:18).

Whatever human governments may do, King Yeshua the Messiah is in charge. That at the same time the establishment of his reign is still in process is alluded to in Isaiah's words, "Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end." His government, while established, is on the increase.

For those who know him now as their King, it is his government under which we primarily live. God is at work through Yeshua to establish everlasting peace, justice, and righteousness. As we live under his rule, careful to follow his lead, we will see that it is his influence that is most dominant in our lives and in life in general. Human governments will come and go, but God's government will stand forever.

TorahBytes: Unconditional Obedience (Be-shallah)

Barak said to her, "If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go." (Shoftim / Judges 4:8; ESV)

The biblical book of Shoftim (English: Judges) records a time of difficulty and confusion for the people of Israel that lasted over 300 years up until the time the monarchy was established. The condition of the nation during this period is summed up by the book's closing words: "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (21:25; ESV). This doesn't mean, however, that it was all bad all the time. Whenever the people would return to God and humbly confess their sins, God would rescue them through a specially chosen leader.

This week's Haftarah tells us the story of the prophetess, Devorah, and military leader, Barak. This passage was most likely chosen to accompany this week's Torah portion because both passages include songs of deliverance (see 5:1-31 & Shemot / Exodus 14:1-18).

The outworking of God's deliverance through Devorah and Barak includes a noteworthy interchange between these two. Devorah speaks the word of the Lord to Barak that as he led the people into battle God would give him victory. He replied with the words I quoted at the start: "If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go" (4:8; ESV).

What kind of response is that? God tells him to do something and Barak says, "Yes if"? That he may have felt insecure is understandable. Devorah as a prophetess could possibly provide necessary guidance from God as needed. Requesting her company and assistance is reasonable. But saying he would only go if she came along, but if not, then he wouldn't do what God commanded him...?

God didn't give him options. He just told him what to do. That is what God does. Sometimes I hear people say that God asked them do to this or that, but I didn't know that God asked people to do things. The God of the Bible commands, he does not ask. This ultra-polite god that some people have may be more of a figment of their imagination than the God who commanded Barak to lead that day.

Some people think that the way God is depicted in the Hebrew Scriptures is in contrast to the way he is depicted in the New Covenant writings. They claim the older writings speak of God as angry and demanding, while the newer writings speak of him as loving and kind. I don't know where they get this from, for the whole Bible reveals God as a complex being. He is angry with our stubborn rebellion against him, but yearning in love to restore us to him. That is a message found through the entire Scriptures.

Similarly, his way of relating to his chosen ones is the same. He commands; he doesn't ask. The only fitting response to his directives is absolute obedience. He is God, after all!

Barak did go. And Devorah did go with him just as he wanted. The victory was won that day, but for Barak the victory was not all it could have been. It wasn't as if he didn't do what God commanded. It was that he put a condition upon it. This reveals a significant lack in Barak's understanding of God and of what God desired to do through him.

It is the same for us. It is possible to know God to some extent without trusting him as we should. We can know his reality in our lives, yet still live at a lower standard than what God intends for us. But it needn't be that way. Understanding that God is calling for unconditional obedience is the first step to obeying him unconditionally.

TorahBytes: Complex Truth (Bo)

Fear not, O Jacob my servant, declares the LORD, for I am with you. I will make a full end of all the nations to which I have driven you, but of you I will not make a full end. I will discipline you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished. (Jeremiah 46:28; ESV).

The Bible clearly states that God has an eternal plan and purpose for the physical descendents of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In spite of the people of Israel's failure to fully live up to God's standards, God is determined to establish them as a nation before him forever. Throughout history, even though claiming to accept the validity of the Scriptures, Christians have often denied this. While many Jewish people have failed to understand God's desire to extend his love to all nations, Christians have tended to overly spiritualize the Bible's promises to the Jewish people.

In the Hebrew Scriptures we see how God reveals himself primarily to the people of Israel. This revelation of himself was not just for them. God was using his interactions with this one nation to prepare the rest of the world to get to know him. The failure of Israel to obey God's Torah was to show the world that no one can live up to God's standards. In the midst of God's judgment of our disobedience, he promised us that he would deliver us, not just from our enemies, but from our spiritual dilemma. God's promises of salvation eventually centered on a person, the Messiah, whose mission would be to both rescue us from our oppressors and effect everlasting spiritual transformation.

These promises also hinted that God's transformation of the people of Israel would have world-wide ramifications. As God would change the hearts of his covenant people, so he would establish his rule over all the earth, and all nations would submit to him.

In the New Testament we read how Yeshua fulfills the prophesies of the Hebrew Scriptures. His prime mission was to his own people as the Messiah, but the spiritual restoration that he sought to bring to us was not just for us, but for all who would trust in him.

It is through Yeshua that we understand that the restoration of Israel is primarily a spiritual one. God's rule is something that first and foremost occurs in our hearts. Non-Jewish Christians, having grasped this, as well as the fact that God's desire for restoration with himself was not exclusively a Jewish matter, began to assert that the words of hope originally given to the Jewish people were not to be taken literally, but rather spiritualized. They failed to grasp this complex truth.

What they failed to understand is that the essential spiritual nature of God's promises to the people of Israel, along with God's plan to include all who put their trust in the Messiah, in no way negates the original intentions of his promises. An emphasis that undermines God's original intentions in his promises, is a denial of the Scriptures.

We read in this week's Haftarah of God's ongoing commitment to the Jewish people. In the midst of severe judgment, God makes a clear distinction between them and their oppressors. Even though God used Israel's enemies as instruments of judgment, he will make a complete end of them. But as for Israel, while they will be disciplined, unlike their enemies, they will not be destroyed.

God's plans and purposes in and through the Jewish people are complex. The Scriptures record his dealings with them over the centuries, yet all the while his concern is not for them alone, but for all people. As for the Jewish people themselves, there is another layer of complexity as expressed through these words of Jeremiah. God can be so strict with us yet at the same time be committed to our eternal well being. When we fail to grasp the complexity of God's truth, we fail to grasp his truth at all.

TorahBytes: Hold On (Va-era)

Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage. (Shemot / Exodus 6:9)

Moses didn't have an easy job. God called him to stand before a powerful leader of a powerful nation to demand that they give up their slave labor force. It was not surprising that Pharaoh, King of Egypt, didn't listen to him. That was to be expected, but the very people whom he was to lead didn't listen to him either.

When Moses first presented God's plan to the leaders of his people, they received him enthusiastically. But it wasn't too long after Moses' first confrontation with Pharaoh that their plight turned from bad to worse. After so many years of cruel bondage, Moses, who was actually a fugitive, burst on the scene, saying God had sent him to deliver them. One would assume that if the all powerful God of the universe sends someone to save them that it would just happen. But instead Pharaoh decreed that their labor be made more intense.

I don't think we can blame them for their discouragement. There is no indication that God was critical of their reaction. It would be some time before God would strive with the people over their grumbling and unbelief, but at this point, he took their reaction in stride.

What a challenge this must have been for Moses, however. He knew he had encountered God. Not only had God told him he would deliver the people, he also told him that Pharaoh would not listen. It must have been encouraging to him to see his own people's initial positive response, but then he had to stand alone except for the companionship of his brother Aaron.

It is one thing to read this as a story, but if we stopped to think about it, I wonder how many of us would be willing to be involved in such an undertaking: confronting a political tyrant on one hand, and leading a downtrodden people who had lost all hope on the other.

Yet Moses did it. As God continued to tell him what to say, Moses continued to do it.

Some may think that if they would have such an encounter with God, they would be just like Moses, but I don't think so. We might be surprised at how we can have deeply rooted convictions, yet still give up under pressure. The Bible has many examples of people who dramatically encountered God, yet were not up to the task, or did well for a while, but failed in the end.

It's not the encounter that makes the difference. There is something much deeper that must happen inside a person to enable them to stick to their calling against all obstacles. Somehow Moses was able to keep perspective in spite of the difficulties before him. Somehow he knew that what God was saying was right in spite of the circumstances he faced. The people of Israel had every indication that their situation was not going to get better. Moses had performed some signs for them, which seemed to impress them, but their increased suffering proved to have greater influence upon their outlook than anything Moses said or did. But Moses' response was different. Moses continued to believe God.

This is the challenge that is before each one of us today. Whatever our life situation, will we base our outlook on life on our circumstances, good or bad, or will we base it on what God is saying to us? And God is speaking to us - whether we have had a dramatic encounter like that of Moses or we read his clear directives in the Scriptures. Either way, as we seek to live out what God says, we will be confronted by situations that will try to intimidate us by giving us the impression that we will not be able to succeed in fulfilling God's will in our lives.

It is only when we refuse to be dragged down by these threats of intimidation that we will be able to fulfill God's call. Again, that call may not include the same level of responsibility that Moses was given, or be as critical. Still, whatever our God-given responsibilities are, as we face similar challenges, we must continue to hold on to whatever it is God has said to us.

TorahBytes: The Bible - Life's Mirror (Shemot)

When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. (Shemot / Exodus 2:3,4; ESV)

Both Judaism and Christianity claim to be based on the Bible - Judaism on the Tenach (Old Testament), Christianity on both the Tenach and the New Covenant writings (New Testament). But what I encounter in the Bible is often lacking in these religions. This probably doesn't matter to those who claim to be part of either of these groups, yet view the Bible as an old-fashioned book of myths. But there are others who think their faith is in keeping with the teachings of the Bible, when nothing could be further from the truth. What would happen if we would take the time to compare our so-called biblical faith with what the Bible actually teaches.

One of the New Covenant books states,

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

What a transformation we would experience if we would allow ourselves to honestly face the scrutiny of the Scriptures!

The Bible is not a book primarily about synagogue and church. It is not about associations and agencies. It is not about religious symbols and rituals. It is certainly not about personalities and showmanship. The Bible is about real people who encounter the true God in the midst of real life. It is a book that demonstrates the destructive nature of sin and the marvelous power of God's love. It is a book that clearly reflects the hideousness of human nature and the blinding glory of God. It speaks of God's anger towards our wickedness and his yearning for our honest attention.

The Bible exposes us to the nitty-gritty of life through the circumstances of people just like us. In its pages we read of marital strife, sickness, death and fear. We read of hope, courage, faith, and sacrifice. We meet hypocrites and liars, the betrayers and the betrayed. We find bitterness and forgiveness, hate and love, despair and hope. All this and more are found within the blood, sweat, and tears of human experience.

However, it seems to me that many people don't want to face the reality of real life, let alone that reality as found in the Bible. Even while claiming to respect and honor the words of Scripture, they manipulate those words according to the world as they want it to be instead of what it really is.

But if we would honestly read the Bible, we would read about real situations such as Moses and his family as found in this week's Torah portion. The same jealousy that drove Pharaoh to oppress God's people back then is alive and well today. But so is the power and presence of God working on behalf of his faithful ones just as it did for Moses and his mother.

The Bible is a reflection of life the way it really is, but we too often mar that refection with our perceptions, preferences, and traditions. It is only as we allow the messages of the Scriptures to speak for themselves that its transforming power can be truly effective in our lives.

TorahBytes: God's Compass (Va-yehi)

But Joseph said to them, "Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones." Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. (Bereshit / Genesis 50:19-21; ESV)

The number one movie in North America last weekend (December 7-9) was "The Golden Compass," based on the book by Phillip Pullman. According to his web site, Mr. Pullman is a committed atheist. Having not read his books themselves and having no interest in seeing this movie, I will make no further comment on him or the film. But what is interesting to me is that the title of this film, written by a man who claims God doesn't exist, is a reminder of God's compass.

The benefit of a compass is that it directs us to a fixed point. Wherever you are (with the exception of being very close to either of the north or south poles), it will always point north. However good or bad your personal sense of direction might be, a compass will tell you where to go. The compass itself isn't the fixed point, but by pointing to it, it can accurately and effectively guide you.

Compasses function as they do because of certain laws of physics that God has put in place. Due to God's design we can find the fixed point through which we can get our bearings. In the same way God has provided a spiritual compass - the Scriptures - through which we can find our spiritual bearings. Just like a compass points to a fixed point on earth as established by God, so the Bible points us to the fixed moral and spiritual points in life that God has established.

When using a compass, it is essential to not allow our own perceptions and feelings to get in the way of what it is telling us. In the same way, when we read the Bible, it is necessary to not allow our own perceptions and feelings to get in the way of what God is telling us.

Some people who believe the Bible don't believe it is a compass. They don't believe God has established fixed points to which the Bible directs us, or if there are fixed points, what they are is hidden from us. For them the Bible has become a book of spiritual experiences that encourage us in our own spiritual experiences and that's all. The legitimacy of any given experience is dependant on ourselves, not on objective standards established by God. As a result they go through life without a compass, striving to be content in their lost-ness.

This is not how Joseph saw life with God. Even though Joseph lived before most of the Bible was written, he understood God's ways as fixed points. His understanding of God that he inherited from his father, grandfather, and great grandfather was a compass directing him according to those fixed points. By accepting that God was whom he revealed himself to be and by adhering to God's standards, Joseph was able to be the man God called him to be. Knowing God as he did enabled him to keep his bearings through all the confusion he endured for so many years. By allowing himself to stay focused on God, his difficulties never did him in. Instead, his difficult circumstances prepared him for the great things he was called to accomplish.

Joseph's understanding of God had nothing to do with his personal perceptions, feelings, or preferences. Rather it was a compass enabling him to arrive at the right destination through the storms of life. Through the Bible we too have a compass, which reveals God's fixed points and through which we can be accurately and effectively directed in life. The more we give ourselves to its direction, the better equipped we will be to traverse the path of life.

TorahBytes: The Power of Hunger (Va-yiggash)

And Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?" But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence. (Bereshit / Genesis 45:3; ESV)

Near the end of Moses' life he recounted to the people of Israel the significant details of their years living in the wilderness. According to Moses, one of the lessons that God sought to teach them during that time was that they needed to rely upon God for everything. In order to learn that lesson God had to humble them by leading them into a most desperate situation in which they had no food. Moses said to them:

And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. (Devarim / Deuteronomy 8:3; ESV)

This is one of the most important lessons that human beings must learn. While God has created us to be innovative and resourceful, and while he expects us to provide for ourselves and others, we are not to rely on ourselves, but upon him for all things. Whatever we do must be under his guidance along with a sincere acknowledgement that all we have comes from him.

This is a difficult lesson for us to learn. God has endowed us with great ability, but it is not our ability that is the real problem. The real problem is that we all come into the world with a messed up perspective on life. Our sinful human nature with its natural rebellious bent warps our understanding of who we really are in relationship to God, to others, and to ourselves. Humbly relying on God is a great challenge for us.

That is why the people of Israel had to be driven to such depths. It was only by being without food for a considerable amount of time that they had any hope whatsoever of learning so crucial a lesson.

Perhaps this sounds cruel to you, but God in his love can be pretty harsh sometimes. It is not because he finds pleasure in making life difficult for us, but rather he does what he must so that we will learn what we need to learn.

Hunger is a great motivator. We also see this in the story of Joseph and his brothers. Remember that Joseph's brothers hated him to the point of wanting to kill him. Their jealously of him prevented them from accepting the special role for which God was preparing him. They had no idea that after so many years he would be a high official of Egypt and be the one used by God to administer food throughout that part of the world during the severe famine.

It was their hunger that drove them to Egypt in search of food. It was ongoing hunger that took them there the second time even though they feared what Joseph (although they didn't know it was him yet) might do to them. But it was this same hunger that was driving them to be reconciled with their brother who would provide for them in the long term. If the famine had not been so severe, they likely never would have gone.

About a billion people in the world today are undernourished. I expect that most of the people reading (or listening to) this are not in that category. The type of hunger experienced by Joseph's brothers and the people of Israel is not something that most people have ever known. But there are other types of hunger besides hunger for food that God uses to lead us to the point of desperation.

At times God uses our desperation to provide us the opportunity to make radical adjustments in our lives, specifically to bring about a change of heart towards him. Sadly, not everyone who gets this opportunity makes the right choices. It doesn't help if we think that our times of hunger are simply challenges that we need to resolve ourselves. Instead, let us learn to rely on God to meet us in our place of need.

TorahBytes: A Violent Struggle (Mi-Kez/ Hanukkah)

Then he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts." (Zechariah 4:6; ESV)

Hanukkah, which begins this year on the evening of Tuesday, December 4, is a time to celebrate the God-inspired victory of the Maccabees over the powers of oppression (for more information about the festival itself, see the TorahBytes Hanukkah section). This event, which occurred in the second century B.C., is in keeping with so much of Jewish history. Throughout Jewish history we have been caught in a violent struggle. From the sword to the gas chamber, we have known great violence.

It is interesting that the Bible, which provides us with our understanding of God and his ways, is full of violent struggles between his people and other nations. While the Bible is more than just war stories, there is certainly a great deal of armed conflict found in its pages.

In the New Covenant section, we see a greater emphasis on issues of personal and communal morality and spirituality. The conflict continues, but it is a conflict of ideas and lifestyle, not of territorial conquest and expansion. This shift in emphasis in no way negates the significance of the violent episodes we encounter in the older writings and in the story of Hanukkah.

The violence we encounter in the Bible is a vivid picture of the nature of the conflict godly people face in every generation. Human nature and its relationship to the forces of evil are at war with God and his loyal subjects. While they did not always live up to their calling, the purpose of the people of Israel living the Land of Israel was to establish godliness amidst a world in rebellion against its Creator. The resulting conflict was ugly, creating a bloody picture of violence.

Thus is the nature of the struggle we face today. We should not be fooled by the glitz and glamour of our age. The forces against God and those who align themselves with him are just as vile as ever. To stand against them requires the same amount of courage and strength as those who engaged enemy armies long ago.

That is why we need the same reminder given by the prophet Zechariah and read at Hanukkah time. Even though our battle is not a physical one, we need to know that victory is won not through human ingenuity and capability, but rather through dependence upon God's Spirit.

Based upon the Maccabees' reading of Scripture, they knew that it was only by their reliance on God that they would be able to stand against an army so much greater than their own. So we too, against forces so much stronger than ourselves, can expect victory, but only as we truly rely on God. As we do, let us remember that the conflict at hand is a violent one, one which may cost us our lives. Yet in the end God will be victorious and we with him, if we remain true to him in this violent struggle.

TorahBytes: True Spirituality - Part 2 (Va-eshev)

Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. (Bereshit / Genesis 39:1)

Last week we looked at an episode from the life of Jacob to demonstrate that true spirituality is not necessarily what most people think, even among those who claim to believe the Bible. The Scriptures give us understanding as to what life is really all about, but too often the words of the Bible are manipulated to create a false spirituality. It doesn't take great scholars to realize this. While we can benefit from good, careful scholarship, the essence of the Bible's spirituality is easily found within its pages.

Much of the Bible is straightforward, yet one of the reasons we fail to catch its message is that we are not always willing to allow it to correct our misconceptions. For example, we often prefer to stick to age-old traditions just because they are traditions. Or perhaps we may have at one time been significantly impacted by concepts wrapped in Biblical guise, but are now too scared to face what the Bible actually says about those concepts. Sometimes we don't want to accept the true teaching of Scripture because of how it might affect our relationships with others. Whatever the reason, our hearts and minds are not always as open to God's Word as we claim.

I have been finding that the kind of life esteemed by many Bible believers does not match the lifestyles of godly people in the Bible. This is what I sought to address last week with Jacob. In the midst of his blessed encounter with God, God crippled him. This dramatic spiritual encounter demonstrates how truly godly people are often broken by God at some point in their lives. It is in that brokenness that the reality of God and of life is at times found.

This was Joseph's experience as well. Joseph was set aside by God for a grand purpose, but his life's journey was anything but pleasant. He was hated by his brothers, most of whom wanted to kill him. In the end they sold him into slavery. While serving as a slave, he was falsely accused of making advances towards his master's wife and sent to prison as a result. It was only after a significant amount of time that he was released.

It is true that God's favor was upon him and God's presence was with him all that time. This is evident by how his father regarded him and by the dreams God entrusted to him. We see this in the level of responsibility given him in his master's house and then later in prison. It is most evident in his interpreting of Pharaoh's dreams and his administration of food before and during the famine.

I don't know if we are quick to accept that both the negative and positive aspects of Joseph's life are part of one package. The blessing and the suffering go hand in hand. The Bible has example after example of this. Abraham leaving familiar surroundings to live as a foreigner in his old age, yet being the father of faith. Moses left to die in the Nile, but saved by the daughter of the very one who wanted him dead; chosen by God as our Deliverer, but living 40 years in the wilderness before reluctantly returning to Egypt to lead us out of bondage; then spending another 40 years in the same wilderness leading a stubborn and unbelieving people, yet receiving the Torah from God. David, called the man after God's own heart, chosen to be king, finds himself first favored by the existing king, but eventually running for his life from that same king and living in the desert until God established his rule. Then there is the Messiah himself, whom Joseph so wonderfully foreshadows, living a godly life unequalled by anyone before or since, yet misunderstood by all, forsaken by his closest friends, given over to Roman execution by the leaders of his own people due to fear and jealousy, doing this all in order to conquer sin and death on our behalf.

The Bible is clear that godly living is lonely, difficult, and painful. It is a life lived contrary to the values of the world around us, and that world is cruel to those who do not cooperate with it. Yet it is those who live this life who really know the God of the Universe, who really make a difference, and are the ones who really live.

TorahBytes: True Spirituality (Va-yishlah)

So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered." The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. (Bereshit / Genesis 32:31,32; English: 32:30,31; ESV)

As I study the Scriptures I am on the look-out for what we might call true spirituality. I am not alone in this trek. From pagans to animists, from the major religions to New Age philosophies, people have spent a great deal of time, energy, and money trying to find true spirituality. Even among those who deny the existence of any actual spiritual dimension in life, there has been a desire to find life's meaning. This also is a type of spirituality in that it assumes some kind of relationship between people and/or between people and nature that is more than just physical.

I believe that true spirituality is found in the Bible. The overriding theme in the Scriptures is one of how we human beings have been alienated from God, our Creator, and how God has sought to restore us to right relationship with him. What I am calling true spirituality refers to both our initial reconciliation to God through the Messiah and the living out of that reconciliation on a daily basis.

The Bible's view of true spirituality stands in contrast to the multitude of counterfeit spiritualities that have existed throughout time until now. Interestingly, the Bible's view of true spirituality also stands in contrast to the false spirituality of many who claim to be Bible believers. While there is room among those committed to the truth of Scripture to differ on various details of spirituality, if we would take the time to compare various so-called biblical spiritualities to the Bible itself, we would soon discover whether or not what we are embracing is truly valid.

In this week's Torah portion, Jacob has an encounter with God that forever changed his personal life and established the name of the nation that would arise from him. Jacob's encounter with God gives us one of the many glimpses we have in the Bible of the essence of true spirituality.

There is one aspect of this encounter that I would like to point out. Understanding this one thing makes all the difference to our overall understanding of what true biblical spirituality really is. What I am referring to is that as a result of Jacob's encounter with God that day, Jacob limped. The Torah tells us that in the midst of this unusual interchange, God injured Jacob. It is true that God also blessed him at that time, but one of the reminders of the blessing would be the pain. Jacob would spend the rest of his life with a physical challenge. Certainly this impediment is nothing compared to the significance of the change of heart he received that day. But still, what does this tell us about true sprituality?

An overall reading of the Bible surely reveals that true sprirituality is rich and meaningful. Yeshua promises his followers what he calls "abundant life" (John 10:10), but it is also includes a life of difficulty and pain (see Philippians 3:10). Difficulties from a variety of sources come to those who know God. In Jacob's case the pain was the result of a direct encounter with God.

There is so much that can be discussed regading this, but I would like to share this one thing here. I suspect that there are many people who, like Jacob, are in pain because of a real encounter with God or as a direct result of truly following him, and yet have not come out of that experence changed for the better in the way Jacob was. The reason for this may well be because of not understanding that the difficulty or pain suffered is part and parcel of true spirituality. God, in his love, knows that we need to be broken before him and others. This is not to say that we have to accept all difficulty and pain in our lives as if from God, but it might be that the very thing that has become a barrier between you and God is actually that which he is seeking to use to both restore you to him and through which he most desires to use you.