by Rod Thomas | Apr 9, 2014 | Blog
Greetings. Today, according to God’s calendar, is the 9th day of the Month of Aviv. Still a New Year, a new beginning for those of us who love the Lord Yehovah. According to Rood’s Gospel Chronology, in 27 CE, Yeshua, his family, and His newly selected disciples (inner circle) left Capernaum (aka: Kfar Nahum) for Jerusalem to observe Passover and Unleavened Bread (reference Leviticus 23 and John 2:13). According to the passage,
“The Passover was at hand and Yeshua went up to Yerushalayim (aka: Jerusalem).”
This passage may not get much attention to the average Christian (Gentile) Reader simply because it is sort of a commentary bridge between two or more important invents. It doesn’t take a whole lot of scholarly knowledge to understand what this verse is talking about, although possessing an understanding of the context and having a full appreciation of the Feasts of Yehovah catapults this verse to a higher level.
The King James Version’s rendering of this event reads, “And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem…” Notice, if you would, the distant perspective the translator placed upon his rendering–“…and the Jews’ passover…” Oh how we in churchianity have so distanced ourselves from our heritage but will fight to the death to brag about the inheritance. There appears to be some misplaced or partially messed up understanding of the full matter.
No individual understood the reality of both the inheritance and the heritage we gentiles enjoy in Messiah, than the Apostle Paul. According to Paul, “For the Scripture says, no one believing on Him shall be ashamed. For there is no difference of Jew and Greek; for the same Lord (aka: Yehovah) is rich towards all that call upon Him. For every one whosoever, who shall call on the name of Yehovah, shall be saved” (Romans 10:12-Darby Translation). Certainly, there is some under-current of anti-Judaism going on here and sadly, that under-current remains even today. We’ve all but discarded the significance of the Jews to our inheritance and our heritage, and by doing so, we’ve also lost all sight of the big picture. There was something to wearing the badge of Jew, regardless whatever negative spin the satan and him minions have put upon that culture. Again, the expert here is Paul who brilliantly asserts, “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, neither that circumcision which is outward in flesh; but he is a Jew who is so inwardly; and circumcision, of the heart, in spirit, not in letter; whose praise is not of men, but of Yehovah” (Romans 2:28,29-Darby Translation). Indeed, being a True Jew (spiritual) is the desired outcome that the Messianic Torah Observer must aspire. And what constitutes a True Jew? It is the one who desires after the ways of Yehovah, who is obedient to His laws and ways, who is a disciple of Yeshua, and who is filled with the Holy Spirit. So many of us are so focused upon the physical manifestations of a culture of people–i.e., their traditions, habits, and appearance. Our culture, the Torah Observing Messianic Believer of Messiah, by nature has its behavioral uniqueness, but more importantly, we have that spiritual component that pushes us beyond anything that is common to human cultures. So we must not ever distance ourselves from our heritage for the sake of the intheritance. Paul explains: “Now if the first-fruit be holy, the lump also; and if the root be holy, the branches also. Now if some of the branches have been broken out, and thou, being a wild olive tree, hast been grafted in amongst them, and hast become a fellow-partaker of the root and of the fatness of the olive tree, boast not against the branches; but if thou boast, it is not thou bearest the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, the branches have been broken out in order that I might be grafted in. Right: they have been broken out through unbelief, and thou standest through faith. Be not high-minded, but fear; if God indeed has not spared the natural branches; lest it might be he spare not thee either. Behold, then the goodness and severity of God: upon them who have fallen, severity; upon thee goodness of Yehovah, if thou shalt abide in goodness, since otherwise thou also wilt be cut away. And they too, if they abide not in unbelief, shall be grafted in; for Yehovah is able again to graft them in. For if thou hast been cut out of the olive tree wild by nature, and, contrary to nature hast been grafted into the good olive tree, how much rather shall they, who are according to nature be grafted into their own olive tree? For I do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, of this m ystery, that ye may not be wise in your own conceits, that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the nations be come in; and so all Israel shall be saved…” (Romans 11:16-26-Darby Translation).
Praise Yehovah that we, Yehovah’s redeemed, His chosen, have been grafted into the one True Faith that was once delivered and that is Torah-based. Thus, there is no such thing as “a Jews’ passover.” Passover, like the rest of the Holy Days and observances and appointed days, belong to Yehovah! He instituted these times for a purpose and these days provide us with shadow pictures of good things to come and they prepare us for the Kingdom.
One more thing to take away from this passage: Yeshua, our Redeemer, our Lord, and Savior, was faithful to keep and obey Torah. Why do we feel that we should be any different. Oh, some would contend that Yeshua kept Torah so we don’t have to. Others will foolishly misinterpret Pauline writings and assert that we are not under the Law, and thus we are compelled to not keep Torah but rely upon Grace. Indeed, we are not under the penalty of the Law, but the Law was given by Yehovah as a means of instruction of how we are to live holy and righteous lives. Without Torah, life becomes a crap-shoot, as is typical churchianity today, where everyone lives according to how he or she see fit.
These days of the Spring Feast have such richness and the shadow pictures that are awaiting each True Believer to view are simply precious beyond understanding. May you be richly blessed this Spring Feast season.
by Rod Thomas | Mar 31, 2014 | Blog, Podcasts
For, brothers, I don’t want you to miss the significance of what happened to our fathers. All of them were guided by the pillar of cloud, and they all passed through the sea, 2 and in connection with the cloud and with the sea they all immersed themselves into Moshe, 3 also they all ate the same food from the Spirit, 4 and they all drank the same drink from the Spirit- for they drank from a Spirit-sent Rock which followed them, and that Rock was the Messiah. 5 Yet with the majority of them God was not pleased, so their bodies were strewn across the desert. 6 Now these things took place as prefigurative historical events, warning us not to set our hearts on evil things as they did. (1Co 10:1-6 CJB)
Weeping that Captures the Father’s Attention
The History Books of the Bible document the reign of several Kings of Israel and Judah. Most of the kings of the combined and separated nations were evil in the sight of Yehovah. For instance: Manasseh, came to the throne at 12-years of age, and reigned over Judah from Jerusalem. His story is capture in 2 Chr. 33:1; 2 Kin. 20:21. Manasseh’s reign was saw evil in the land of Judah–2Kin. 16:3. The primary evil was the worship of Molech. Molech worship was left over from the former inhabitants of the land (2 Kin. 16:3). When Manasseh came of age he oversaw the rebuilding of the high places that once destroyed by his father, Hezekiah. Manasseh also oversaw the erecting of alters for Ba’al and the production of groves (or asherah), as Ahab had become famous for. Lastly, the worhsip of the heavenly hosts became a mainstay religion of the nation.
How could this have happened to the nation of Judah. Knowing that their sister nation Israel had suffered irreparable harm as a result of similar worship of pagan gods and observing pagan rites. Judah effectively left Torah observance for worship of molten images and the erecting of groves or asherah. They left the fear of Yehovah for the service of Ba’al and the worship of the host of heaven. Both had erected alters in the Temple of Yehovah to other gods (Jeremiah) and to the host of heaven. This practice provokes Yehovah to anger (Deu. 4:19). The host of heaven included the worship of the sun, moon, and stars and this all took place on the Temple grounds (2 Chr. 33:5; Eze. 8:16).
The Tanakh is clear that Yehovah brings evil upon those who know better but choose to worship Ba’al, the host of heaven, and asherahs. In the sake of Israel and ultimately Judah, Yehovah aimed to forsake His inheritance (His chosen) and deliver them into enemy hands.
Sadly, Manasseh’s son Amon followed in his footsteps. Amon was murdered by his own servants. But praise be to Yehovah, He can and has provided for the raising of a righteous seed and thus Amon’s son, Josiah, succeeded him to the throne at the tender age of 8 (2 Kin. 23). Josiah took the nation of Judah on a 180 degree turn from their decades of practicing evil and brought them back towards the light of Yehovah’s Torah. This inspiring and touching story is documented in 2 Kin. 23.
Essentially, after Amon’s death, Josiah ascended to the throne of Judah at the age of 8. Despite the evil that his father oversaw during his reign, Josiah came to to know Yehovah and follow His ways. At 26-years of age, King Josiah realized that the Temple was in noticeable disrepair. Thus he directed the Temple administrators to assess the Temple and determine what needed to be done to get it in proper order, deserving of the House of the Lord. The administrators were instructed to take the funds from the treasury and hire the professionals to make the needed repairs, this after years of disrepair and neglect of the House of the Lord under the reigns of Mannesseh, Amon and the other evil kings of Judah. While assessing the Temple, a priest by the name of Hilkiah placed into the hands of a scribe by the name of Shaphan the Temple’s Torah. Shaphan the scribe read the Torah to King Josiah (reference 2 Kings 22:9-10). Josiah’s response to hearing the Word of Jehovah? He learned and understood the problems through the content of Torah that was read to him that he and his nation were headed for certain disaster and destruction. Certainly, the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy outline for the peoples of Yehovah the blessings and curses to be had in the event Yehovah’s chosen are obedient to Yehovah’s Laws or they are disobedient to His Laws, respectively. Clearly, after hearing these passages denoting blessings and curses, Josiah must have been horribly alarmed. This likely came atop Josiah coming to understand what Yehovah expected of His chosen people. The years of idolatry and the nation’s persistant wallowing in the filth of the very uncleanness that Yehovah strictly forbade His people to avoid, must have been a glaring realization for the young ruler.
Have you ever had the ocassion whereby you learned that you or someone you loved had been doing something or some things grossly wrong for a long period of time? Recall how it made you feel. Recall how you likely tried to rationalize the wrong doing in hopes that you could dispell the truth of the matter. Recall how it sickened you to your stomach and the desparation that followed as you searched for ways to make proper amends to the one(s) who may have been offended. Not to mention the fear that took center stage in your mind of the pending repercussions for the times of wrongdoing. If, however, we are of pure hearts, we are ultimately thankful for the revealed knowledge that we were doing wrong. It is this revealed knowledge that provides us the opportunities to make amends and get on a proper track of living.
Terrified of the impending doom that was likely overshadowing Judah as a result of her decades of idolatry and adultery (both involving the turning away from the one true God), Josiah sent immisaries to a prophetess, by the name of Huldah, to “inquire of Jehovah for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found; for great is the wrath of Jehovah that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us. (2Ki 22:13 ASV)” What Josiah’s immissaries learned from Huldah likely confirmed Josiah’s worse fears: “Thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read. Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and it shall not be quenched. (2Ki 22:16,17 ASV)
Indeed, indicting and severe information to receive from the spokesperson of the Almighty. What makes matters worse here, is the addendum from the Eternal that was attached to the edict and that was that Yehovah’s wrath would not be quenched. In other words, there are often consequences associated with disobedience to Torah and no amount of obeience will change that. Sometimes, we find ourselves in situations of disobedience to Torah, yet when we come to terms that we need to repent and change our ways, we are ill-prepared to accept the consequences that must come with the offense.
It became apparent to me as I studied this amazing story, that often, during our periods of disobedience to Torah, our actions of evil against Yehovah and His Law, often sets in to motion a chain of events that we may not be altered despite our genuine desire to make the proper amends with the Father and to turn back to His Law. In these situations, we must be prepared to accept and endure the resulting punishment. The resulting punishment often has nothing to do with the repentance. Shaul (aka: Paul) taught: 23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom 6:23-1 KJV)
Of course, this was not the end of the story. Our Father is merciful: “but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not. (Neh 9:17 KJV)” The love the Father had and continues to have for His chosen ones often leaves in place an enduring ledge of mercy that may not entirely stave off punishment for disobedience to the Father’s Torah, but may provide some form of respite or stay of execution for the pure of heart. In Josiah’s case, he exemplified the weeping that gets the Father’s attention.
The prophetess of the Most High explains: But unto the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of Jehovah, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: As touching the words which thou hast heard, because thy heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before Jehovah, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith Jehovah. Therefore, behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again. (2 Kings 22: 18-20 ASV) After receiving the prophecy and the Words of the Almighty from the prophetess, Josiah did not rest upon his brand new insurance policy. He took action, despite the fact that His weeping caused the Father to impose a stay of execution upon the nation. Josiah obviously knew that if he were to save his nation from certain devastation, he had to reimpose the practice of Torah in the land; destroy the idols that had proliferated the land of Judah for decades (2 Kings 23:4, 8); walk after Yehovah (2Ch 15:12 And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;); and to keep the Eternal’s commandments, His statutes (2 Kings 23:3). And if all this wasn’t enought, Josiah had the priests of Ba’al, Molech, and the heavenly hosts (i.e., the moon, the sun, and the planets) executed to ensure that the worship of the false gods and the worship of Yehovah’s creation would be eliminated. Indeed, Josiah’s heartfelt repentance on behalf of the nation proved to be quite revolutionary and left no doubt in the citizens of Judah’s mind that Judah would henceforth become a Torah adhering, Yehovah fearing, and idolatary hating nation. And what better time than the time of the Passover for this all to have happened? Passover marks the beginning of God’s calendar and the first of Yehovah’s appointed Feasts. A new beginning for Judah. A chance for rededication and purification for a once evil and pagan nation.
What weeping captures the Father’s attention? Weeping that is wholly associated with deep repentance and most importantly, decisive action to correct the wrongs that have been committed against the Almighty and our neighbor. Compared to the Children of Israel’s weeping in the Sinai, one can only conjure up a description of shame on the part of the Sinai-wanderers. The chosen ones wept because of a lack foods they had in Egypt and a misplaced sense of loss of material goods and comforts. They wept out of selfishness and bitter contempt towards Yehovah for placing them in the refiners fire known to us as the Sinai wilderness. Instead of weeping because they were failing Yehovah’s tests and refinements to become God’s special possessions at every turn–which would have been the proper weeping to be done in this particular situation and as was demonstrated by Josiah–they wept as a 2-year old who has been told “no” when they demand something that shouldn’t have.
Sadly, this is the state of our Faith today dear friends. Our focus is upon self and upon an eternity in heaven. The focus is NOT upon our relationship with the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob; the creator of heaven and earth; the Great I AM. This misplaced focus is idolatrous and it sickens the Father. Yet the Father’s patience is unfathomable. We deserve the fate that was due Judah but was stayed by Yehovah because of Josiah’s repentance on behalf of his nation. Ultimately, Yehovah did punish the nation of Judah. I fear that our western nations are heading for a similar if not worse fate. We must not rest upon a false assumption that we will be raptured away from this world prior to the great tribulation. There is nothing in the Holy Writ that states such a thing. Although we may not be the direct cause for the impending punishment that is coming to our respective nations, we, like many of the patriarchs of Judah and Israel who saw their nations destroyed by Babylon and Assyria respectively, will endure and witness the destruction of our nations by the satanic led forces of this world (reference: 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Eph 6:12 KJV)). It will be required of us to endure to the end (reference: 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. (Mat 24:13 KJV)).
The Messianic Torah Observer lesson I see here is that we are in positions to be Yehovah’s special possession–the position that the Sinai Wanderers of the Exodus story once contended for but failed and lost because of their stiff neck nature and short-sightedness. Thus, there are tremendous benefits to be had as one of the Eternal’s special possessions. Once we have accepted this aspicious opportunity to be the Eternal’s chosen, we are no longer our own. Every aspect of our being should be and in most cases, must be, ordered by Yehovah. When we fail to acknowledge this or we stumble before the Almighty and the Spirit convicts us of our wrong-doings, then is the time for weeping with deep and honest repentence to emerge from our inner being that cries out to the one true God in such a way that it appeals to His heart and we are reconciled to Him and thus we may be spared serious punishment. When will we learn that complaining to Yehovah about our tirals and tribulations is not the answer to life. 18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (1Th 5:18 KJV)20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; (Eph 5:20 KJV). Is this an easy thing to do? Heck no! In fact, for me, it has to be the most backward and awkward thing to do. I am a complainer by nature. Thus, I’ve learned to make complaining my outlet for venting my frustrations and hardships. However, this Torah lesson has provided me the wherewithal to correct this behavior and further cement my relationship with the Father. When I fail to do that which the Almighty would have me do or I violate His laws and commandments, I realize now what I must do and not, as the vast majority of self-professing Christians contend, simply utter “forgive me Lord for my sins” and leave it at that. Consider: if you wrong a spouse, would simply saying to him or her, he forgive me for messing up do the trick? In some cases, it might. In most cases, you might need a lot more words and most important, some actions to support your words, to reconcile you back to him or her. If words are not accompanied by actions, what security is there to be found by your spouse that you won’t repeat the same mistakes all over again? Why do we treat Adonai differently? Why do we treat Yehovah differently? Why do we treat Him as some nebulus concept that is immune to hurt feelings and thoughts of being abandoned? He is real and He is like us in some many ways? He loves to be loved and He loves to be first in our lives. It isn’t until we come to that place in our relationship with the Almighty where we acknowledge Him as real and we treat Him as real, then we move our relationship with Yehovah to the next level!
by Rod Thomas | Mar 11, 2014 | Blog, Podcasts
For what great nation is there that has God as close to them as ADONAI our God is, whenever we call on him? 8 What great nation is there that has laws and rulings as just as this entire Torah which I am setting before you today? (Deu 4:7-8 CJB)
Having taken on the daily study of Torah in my life, I have come to terms with many interesting and important aspects and elements affecting my daily walk with Messiah. Some of these aspects and elements are good to know things while others are downright disturbing and are likely impediments in my relationship with the Eternal. I dare say that I probably get on God’s (or as I will use for the remainder of this post, Yehovah’s) nerves more times than I care to guess. I realize in the back of my mind that if I do not correct those deficiencies in my life, I stand the chance of damaging my long-term relationship with Yehovah.
The Wilderness Example
CJB Numbers 11:4 Next, the mixed crowd that was with them grew greedy for an easier life; while the people of Isra’el, for their part, also renewed their weeping and said, “If only we had meat to eat! (Num 11:4 CJB)
Numbers chapter 4 is one of those chapters of Torah (better known to western Christians as the Old Testament) that paints a vivid picture of a people in seemingly perpetual wandering. Initially, the escape from years of bondage under the cruelty of the Egyptians was obviously jubilant and auspicious. The stuff that epics such as the Charlton Heston’s and Cecil B. Demil’s classic the “10-Commandments” captured in all its perceived pomp and circumstance. Beautiful and handsome actors from the United States and Canada, made to look the part, brought a sense of awe and mystery to the story. Despite the brilliance of the film, it failed to capture the inner workings of the human experience: that is the struggles of the flesh as it attempted to fall in line with the requirements of a Holy God; the challenges associated with basic human relationships, especially when a mixed multitude accompanied the Exodus party; Yehovah’s overarching purposes in bringing His Chosen out of the land of Egypt and subjecting them to the many problems and challenges they were to experience. Even today, Orthodox Churchianity and her appendages fail to grasp the immense purpose behind Yehovah’s subjection of those whom He claimed to love to such stark and abject poverty and inconvenience. Beyond that the leaders of orthodox churchianity, these supposed learned men of God, consistently fail to seek the Spirit for understanding how their story (i.e., the children of Israel), their experiences, and their lives impact us today.
The Grace Doctrine Muddies the Water
This problem of minimizing the lessons that would be learned from the Sinai experience by western orthodox and popular churchianity teachers, I believe, may be attributed to the all-encompassing doctrine of grace. This doctrine, more than any, has resulted in millions throughout the centuries, missing entirely what their purpose in Jesus Christ (from this point forward, Yeshua HaMashiach) was. You see, sola gratia (Latin for grace only) requires very little of the child of the Most High to ensure his or her eternal security. In fact, sola gratia provides the would-be child of Yehovah with the opportunity to live as the uncontrollable brat he or she is predisposed to be. Overall, the focus is eschatological (that is, where will I spend eternity and how will I escape the tribulation). Is our only purpose as the redeemed of the Most High to aspire to an eternity that is NOT hell? How many a soul has prayed the sinner’s prayer, not for reasons of being a light to a lost world (Matthew 5: 14) or a friend to Yehovah (James 2: 23), but rather to avoid spending an eternity in hell? (Hell is an entirely separate topic of its own we may discuss at some future time, Yah willing.) Why have we missed the mark and abandoned this life we currently have for some ill-conceived and unbiblical life in heaven sometime in the perceived future? So much benefit is to be had here today in this world for the analogous benefits that salt brought to the ancient Middle East (Matthew 5:13). The preservative and flavor benefits translate into a picture of a people who would bring life to the world and the example by which the human race would be saved. Being the salt to the world as Messiah crowned every follower of His to become and remain, is indicative of the emphasis that Yeshua put on the here and now. He, Messiah, built His entire ministry on relationships–love for His Father and love for His people–the two great categorical basic elements of Torah. It is high-time my friends that we stop focusing on the future and eternity, but instead focus upon our relationships with both Yehovah and our brothers and sisters today. If we are faithful to do what the Master commanded us to do as His disciples, the future will indeed take care of itself. Needless to say, we have very little to no control of the future. What we do have influence over is our relationships with Father and those whom the Father has placed into our spheres of influence.
Weeping for the Wrong Thing
The children of Israel began to weep over lack of meat at the expressed lusting of the mixed multitude. Just prior to this episode, the Children of Israel murmured amongst themselves and against Yehovah for their present situation:
CJB Numbers 11:1 But the people began complaining about their hardships to ADONAI. When ADONAI heard it, his anger flared up, so that fire from ADONAI broke out against them and consumed the outskirts of the camp. 2 Then the people cried to Moshe, Moshe prayed to ADONAI, and the fire abated. 3 That place was called Tav’erah [burning] because ADONAI‘s fire broke out against them. (Num 11:1 CJB)
Thus, we have before us a very unhappy and depressed group all around.
The weeping of the Children of Israel was certainly misplaced here. Indeed the human flesh wants what it thinks it needs and what it selfishly wants. I ask you: knowing what we know about this situation, was the situation that the Chosen ones found themselves valid enough reason to weep before Yehovah and Moses and the hangers on?
I am a firm believer in cause and effect. My job as a Coroner’s Investigator is focused upon learning what the circumstances leading to the death in question were. Many a family member and associate of the deceased would query my staff and me as to the reasons for our inquiry, particularly when the cause of death appeared to be quite apparent. It all comes down to what were the driving elements that led to the death: why did the decedent crash his/her car? Were they sleep at the wheel? Did they have a cardiac event that caused them to become unconscious and lose control of their vehicle? Was someone else in the vehicle who distracted them and caused them to lose control of their car and then crash? Are there criminal elements associated with the death? Criminal negligence? Drugs? Psychological influences leading the individual to commit suicide maybe? The list can go on of course.
Many times, we weep for purposes of soliciting attention and sympathy from those around us, more so of course when we see ourselves incapable of containing or remedying a certain situation. Weeping in these cases seems to bring the comfort that help will come and relieve us of our heavy burden.
However, what about those situations where weeping is a response to something that we’ve done to someone or in response to some situation or some thing; when the only response to an embarrassing or tragic situation is to let the emotions and the depression that collects within us spill over the edges of our souls? What about the weeping that comes from having the knowledge that we’ve disappointed or hurt someone close to us and the only response is a wailing of abject sorrow and rejection of ourselves as subhuman and unworthy of the love of the individual we’ve wronged? When we are in such a deep and uncompromising relationship, either with Yehovah or with our brothers or sisters, we are just a stone’s throw away from finding ourselves in a state of remorseful weeping simply by doing something stupid; and that stupid something can be anything that causes the other party hurt or pain.
As an adult and prior to reaching my 50’s, I had little need of weeping apart from when my Grandmother (of whom I was equally raised by along with my mother and father in our Baltimore Maryland home) died from cancer. The sorrow I felt was of course a reaction to the intense sense of loss I was experiencing at the time; knowing that I would never see my grandmother in this life again. The weeping that emerged from within required no effort; no mental contemplation of how and why; no physical pushing or pulling on my part; just being and allowing myself to feel the pain. Knowing my grandmother was a born again Christian saved by grace (at the time I was a traditionalist/pop Christian), I felt confident she had gone to heaven and that I would see her again in the resurrection and rapture. Yet that assurance did not assuage the sorrow that seemed to engulf my being over the course of a number of days.
Indeed, the Holy Writ is festooned with numerous “weeping” passages; the weepers weeping for various and sundry reasons:
- Sorrow over the death of a loved one (Gen. 23:2; 37:35; Ecc. 3:4; Jer. 9:1; Luk. 7:13; 8:52)
- The lost love/longing for a loved one (Gen. 43:30; 1 Sam. 30:3,4)
- Concern over the anticipated death of a loved one and you can’t do anything about it (2 Sam. 12:21; Job 30:25; Isa. 22:4; Joe. 2:17; Luk 23:28; Jam. 5:1)
- Shame before the Creator and men over one’s transgressions against the Father (2 Chr. 34:27 Neh. 8:9; Isa. 15:2)
- Sorrow over the pain and devastation one we care for is undergoing (Jer. 13:17; Lam. 1:16; Eze. 24:16; Gen. 27:38; Num. 11:4)
- Sorrow over lack of resources, one’s plight, etc (Luk. 6:21)
- Joy (Gen. 29:13; 33:4; 45:2)
In many cases throughout Scripture, the weeping was misplaced and was indicative of a lack of trust and even understanding of those who wept of Yehovah. The weeping was indicative of the hopeless perception the weeper held regarding his or her situation.
Weeping that is Appreciated by Yehovah
Our heavenly Father deeply cares for His creation and there are a few rare examples in Scripture where the weeping of one of His children swayed His heart to change His intended course to bring destruction upon His chosen or the weeping bent His will or the course of natural human events in favor of the weeper:
- The case of Hagar’s remorse over the impending plight of her son Ishmael (Genesis 21)
- The case of the Children of Israel weeping over lack of food (Numbers 11)
- The case of Hannah seeking of Yehovah a child as she was childless and ashamed (1 Samuel 1)
- Josiah’s weeping on behalf of His people for their grave sin and upon re-discovering the Torah in the temple (2 Kings 22)
Weeping does strike at the heart of the creator and has proven from time to time to move the Father to action. But no weeping moves the Eternal more than the weeping of one who sorrows over having offended the Most High and having transgressed His Torah.
We’ll pick this up next time.
We trust that you have been blessed as I have been blessed in this study of Numbers 11:4. I would then ask you to subscribe/register to this podcast and website simply by filling in the three boxes to the right of this post that is titled “subscribe to this website and podcast.” In doing so, you show your support for this ministry as well as provide for yourself updates on the happenings of this ministry. We’d love to have you and rest assured that we will never share your information with any person or organization. We thank you in advance dear friend.
Until next time dear friend, may you be most blessed.
by Rod Thomas | Mar 7, 2014 | Blog, Podcasts
Continuing on from our previous study, we find ourselves still looking at Numbers 11: 4 and the situation involving a mixed multitude of peoples who accompanied the Chosen People in the Exodus out of Egypt. The passage reads beautifully as:
CJB Numbers 11:4 Next, the mixed crowd that was with them grew greedy for an easier life; while the people of Isra’el, for their part, also renewed their weeping and said, “If only we had meat to eat! (Num 11:4 CJB)
This issue of a mixed multitude appears to be a most intriguing element to the Exodus story. Most accounts of the story of the Exodus focus main upon the Children of Israel and all their associated problems and challenges. However, this mixed multitude or in the Hebrew, this rabble, paints for a us a most fascinating story and life lesson. So many parallels here. So many analogies here. So many truths to be taken in and incorporated into our lives quite frankly. There is of course the low hanging fruit of matter that suggests the lesson to be learned here is to watch very closely those who are in our lives that are unequally yoked, so-to-speak. Clearly the rabble never anticipated the testing phase of the Exodus journey and thus they wanted off the bus quite early. Their influence upon the Chosen of Yehovah was evident in the latter half of this verse. Fast forwarding roughly 4-millennium, we can see the dangers of rabble in our walk with Messiah. Oh these folks may not be part and parcel of our walk with Messiah, but they are always present in various segments of our daily lives: unbelieving and unsupporting family members; grumpy and negative neighbors; co-workers and bosses who see the badge of our Faith as nothing more than a ploy to get time off for so-called “Jewish Holidays” or taunting us for being in supposed “cults.” It is these that often drive us to the very edge of compromise and drag us in to their unclean conversations and or personal and professional life problems that cause us great discomfort and frustration.
I know, for example, that I face each day I go in to the office a litany of staffers who come to me with their seemingly petty issues and expect me to make those problems magically go away. Or I am dragged into meaningless conversation that ultimately leads me astray and I find myself thinking, feeling, and saying things that are not of Kingdom essence. As we clearly see in the latter half of this verse, the Children of Israel “renewed their weeping” for food. I tell you, this Messianic life is a vicious circles much of the time and it can certainly weigh upon psychologically and physically if we are not girded about on our spiritual bodies with the whole armor of Yah.
CJB Ephesians 6:11 Use all the armor and weaponry that God provides, so that you will be able to stand against the deceptive tactics of the Adversary. (Eph 6:11 CJB)
But then, there is the higher level thought behind all this and that involves the overall leaven that infuses our lives on a daily basis. I’m not a huge fan or one who defers to commentary on the Bible, but I do from time to time enjoy reading what other well knowing experts or even lay folk think about a particular passage or Torah concept. According to Matthew Henry for instance (and I absolutely love this term he used to describe the rabble), this mixed multitude became “hangers on.” He goes on to describe these “hangers on” as individuals who saw and opportunity to latch on to the anticipated blessings of Yehovah that would be extolled upon the Children of Israel (my wording of his). I have to tell you, this gave me great cause for pause and reflection as he goes further to say that “scabbed sheep can easily infect a flock and he concludes his description likening the hangers on to leaven that leaven the whole lump.
Leaven and Scabs
One of the major challenges to those of us who embrace the Messianic lifestyle has to do with all of the elements that make up our life that can virtually infect us and hinder our walk with Messiah. As I mentioned above, the low hanging fruit is easily identified as those people who provide us opportunities to falter and stumble along the way. This situation my friends can be managed if we are careful to understand what it is that these hangers on bring to the table of our lives. In some cases we can simply dismiss them and have nothing to do with them unless we absolutely are forced to deal with them in a situation or problem. On the other hand, there are those we are either married to, related to and live with, or have to work with in order to make a living. In these cases, it may take a little more finesses than a simple dismissal. It may require that we set barriers and rule around how we will deal with them and what we will and will not tolerate from them. It may come down to having those “crucial conversations” (the name of a leadership book that describes having critical conversations to get your point across) with these individuals in order to establish an understanding as to what it is they are doing to create havoc in your life.
But then there is the compendium of things in and around us that have a leavening and scabbing influence upon our walk with Messiah and with that, we’ll pick this up next time.
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by Rod Thomas | Mar 3, 2014 | Blog
One of the interesting aspects of Numbers 11:4 is the aspect of the Children of Israel weeping. I didn’t really pay much attention to this portion of the verse apart from the fact that the Chosen Ones of the Desert could not see beyond their physical needs and were inviting possible harm to themselves from Yehovah as we saw in verses 1 to 3 of this same chapter.
But then we come upon this behavior of weeping. Of all human emotional response to a situation, weeping is the tale-tale sign that something is amiss or is happening to or within the individual who is weeping. In our modern, western society, weeping is usually something that sends a strong visual signal to those who are within eye and ear shot of the person affected. We, the observers of this behavior, typically halt from what it is we are doing and take notice. We are usually disarmed and a sense of compassion or empathy or in some cases even sympathy takes over within us. If the situation or the level of relationship we, the observer is such, we may innately attempt to console the weeping individual. Why. I don’t know, we just don’t like to see people weep. It triggers a biological response within us and we react–one way or the other, we the observer react.
In this case, the Children of Promise wept over the absence of meat (or flesh as rendered in many translations) in their diet. The Hebrew term for weep is “bakah” and it generally, in Scripture, denotes weeping, crying, or the shedding of tears in response to grief, humiliation, or joy. In this particular situation, the weeping of the Children of Promise was over a lack of or absence of meat.
According to Hollady’s Hebrew & Aramaic Lexicon, weeping can become whining, which I would contend is accurate here. The Israelites were prompted in to a state of weeping by the “rabble” or the “hangers on” as referencing Matthew Henry. Hallady continues and I believe this is such an astute consideration to be had by every believer in Messiah: the weeping by the Children of Promise should have been a weeping of repentance. Indeed, such weeping transcends most if not all other causes of weeping among humans. When we weep, many times the weeping is a sign of selfishness. In other words, something caused us to feel sorry or sad about something and of course, we do not like to feel sad. In other aspects, we cry because something was taken from us or we are in lack, which happens to be the precise situation here.
Torah, above any other element, elevates man to a higher state of being. It shows us our deficiencies and prompts us to correct our errant ways. Torah and the sacrifice Yeshua made on the cross for our sins, provide for us that open door to the Creator of the Universe who has always, from the beginning of time, sought to provide His creation. It all comes down to relationships: that is the relationship between Yehovah and man. That relationship has been described as that of a Father and children.
We’ll pick this up next time. Have a most blessed day in Messiah.
