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Devarim 5770 – ∞ > 10

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22
Isaiah 1:1-27
Acts 9:1-22

Deuteronomy 1:23-33 “The plan pleased me well; so I took twelve of your men, one man from each tribe. And they departed and went up into the mountains, and came to the Valley of Eshcol, and spied it out. They also took some  of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us; and they brought back word to us, saying, ‘It is a good land which YHWH our God is giving us.’… Yet, for all that, you did not believe YHWH your God, who went in the way before you to search out a place for you to pitch your tents, to show you the way you should go, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day.

When Moses recounted the story of the twelve spies, he left out an important detail: ten of the twelve spies brought back a bad report. “The land is bountiful and beautiful, but we are grasshoppers next to the inhabitants!” Is it any wonder that the people lost their faith? Why did Moses make it sound as if the Israelites doubted God for no good reason?

Because they did! God promised to bring them into the Land. He destroyed Pharaoh’s army and spectacularly broke Egypt’s power. The whole world was soon talking about Israel and her God in fear. Yet when ten men told them how mighty were their enemies, they turned on the God whose presence was physically manifested among them in a gigantic pillar of fire. What were they thinking!? It didn’t matter how many spies came back with a bad report. It didn’t even matter that two of them spoke truthfully. No handful or army of men can stand in the way of God fulfilling his promises to us.

But we can.

Fear is so easy. We entertain it and feed it our whole lives while we starve faith. It’s no wonder we don’t see miracles when by our constant expectations of disaster we accuse God of faithlessness.

∞

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Posted in Parsha 44 - Devarim, Theology, Torah | No Comments »

Pinchas 5770 – The Spirit in the Torah

Friday, July 2nd, 2010

Numbers 27:15-21. Then Moses spoke to the LORD, saying: 16 “Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, 17 who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be like sheep which have no shepherd.” 18 And the LORD said to Moses: “Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; 19 set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and inaugurate him in their sight. 20 And you shall give some of your authority to him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient. 21 He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire before the LORD for him by the judgment of the Urim. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, he and all the children of Israel with him—all the congregation.”

People were filled with the Holy Spirit thousands of years before Pentecost. And people knew and kept the Torah before it was given at Mt. Sinai.

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Posted in Keeping Torah, Parsha 41 - Pinchas, Theology, Torah | 7 Comments »

Balak 5770 – A Chink in Your Armor

Saturday, June 26th, 2010
Numbers 22:2-25:9
Micah 5:6-6:8
I Corinthians 1:20-31

Proverbs 26:2  As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.

There seems a discrepency between the idea that we are created in God’s image to the extent that our words have creative force, that there is power in our prayers, and the opposing idea that a curse has no power unless it is deserved and that a prophet can speak neither blessing nor curse unless God allows it. There is truth on both sides if properly understood.

We were created in God’s image, but we are not exact copies, the earthly tabernacle was a corruptible copy of the one in Heaven, the feast days are shadows of the reality that is the Messiah, and mankind is an imperfect, much scaled down replica of God. Unlike him, we cannot create something out of nothing by merely speaking. We need something on which to build. We are unable to get our own dirt, so we have to make do with what we can find.

When Balaam tried to curse Israel, he failed because, as a prophet, he could only prophecy what God told him. His patron, Balak, understood the principle of Proverbs 26:2, that a curse undeserved has no effect, so he took Balaam to first one place and then another, thinking that a different perspective might give Balaam the hook he needed to make the curse stick. But he misunderstood the nature of a real prophet: prophesy comes from God and no other. If a prophet speaks truth, then his words are the words of God, and God can no more curse the righteous than could Balaam. Hence Balaam’s statement that “[YHWH] has not seen iniquity in Jacob, neither has He seen perverseness in Israel.” It was not that Israel had no sin at all, but that God had chosen to forgive them. Like a husband who chooses to overlook his wife’s flaws, from God’s point of view, Israel had no sin to which a curse could attach.

Finding no fault in Israel, Balaam showed Balak how he might create one that God could not overlook by seducing them into idolatry. This is the “doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit fornication.” (Revelation 2:14) Eating “things sacrificed to idols” does not refer simply to eating meat from sacrificial animals, but to actively participating in the sacrifice. Those who teach God’s people that it is acceptable to engage in pagan rituals and abandon God’s law so long as their “hearts are in the right place” are today’s Balaam. They cause God’s people to commit sins that he cannot overlook, opening them to whatever curse the enemy might choose to throw.

Posted in Keeping Torah, Marriage, Parsha 40 - Balak, Theology, Torah | No Comments »

Chukat 5770 – Judgment, Salvation, and Refinement

Saturday, June 19th, 2010

Numbers 19:1-22:1
Judges 11:1-33
John 3:9-21

A few thoughts on Chukat:

  • Red is the color of mortality and blood. A heifer is a cow that has never calved. The red heifer was to be completely consumed along with cedar, hyssop, and a scarlet thread. Cedar, hyssop, and scarlet appear to be a reference to the cross. The ashes of the red heifer were collected, mixed with water, and used to ritually cleanse a thing or person from contact with death. Water is typical of the Holy Spirit. In summary, something mortal and which bears no fruit is completely given over to God in association with the death of Yeshua on the cross. In combination with the baptism of the Spirit, it saves us from death. This sounds like Yeshua’s words to Nicodemus in John 3.
  • When Miriam died, there was no water to drink, and perhaps no water to mix with the ashes of the heifer to purify the people after her death. The people did not mourn her, but mourned themselves and their own discomfort. Shortly after that, they were sent back into the wilderness by the king of Edom. When Aaron died, the people mourned for thirty days and then defeated the king of Arad.
  • Bronze represents judgment. When the people rebelled again and were punished through poisonous snakes, God told Moses to erect a bronze serpent on a pole in the middle of the camp. When the people were bitten by the consequences of their sin, they could look up and see the judgment of God on a stake and be healed. Reference again the words of Yeshua in John 3.
Numbers 19:1-22:1
Judges 11:1-33
John 3:9-21

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Posted in Parsha 39 - Chukat, Theology, Torah | No Comments »

Korach 5770 – Place

Saturday, June 12th, 2010

Numbers 16:1-18:32
I Samuel 11:14-12:22
Romans 13:1-10

Order and hierarchy have been inherent in God’s plan from the very beginning, whether among the angels, in the Garden of Eden, among men, or within families. Although the laws that govern spiritual authority are not as readily subject to experiment and objective verification as the laws that govern chemical reactions, they are just as real and just as inviolable. A man who continually drinks dilute amounts of drano will eventually suffer from alkaline poisoning whether he learned the lessons of high school chemistry or not. He might get away with it for a short while, but the consequences of his actions will catch up with him. The same is true of those who reject spiritual authority. Women who reject the spiritual covering of their fathers or husbands, men who reject the authority of God’s anointed prophets and judges, children who reject the authority of their parents…They might live indefinitely believing that they have chosen their own path, that they have found freedom in self-governance. Really, they have left one service for another and gained nothing lasting in the transaction. After all, who is more free? The slave whose master will defend him and who trusts him with a great deal of autonomy? Or the escaped slave who has no resources, no shelter, and who has become an open and defenseless target for abuse and re-enslavement by another master? The latter may appear to have more freedom in the immediate sense of having no allegiance and no duty to a higher power, but in the long run, his available choices will be severely limited and possibly eliminated altogether.

Numbers 16:1-18:32
I Samuel 11:14-12:22
Romans 13:1-10

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Posted in Keeping Torah, Leadership, Parsha 38 - Korach, Theology, Torah | No Comments »

Realistic Solutions

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

I would be very interested in hearing some realistic solutions to the problems in Israel and in the Middle East in general. I haven’t heard any good ones yet.

Can’t we all just get along? Umm, no. Israel is completely surrounded by governments (and peoples) who have sworn to kill them all–men, women, and children. They can’t simply forgive and forget. They can’t turn their backs or relax even for a moment. And the Palestinians, whoever they were, whatever their origins, have been hopelessly ghettoized for so long that large segments of their population are no longer capable of living productively with others.

Israel should give the Palestinians their own country. The Palestinians are led by thugs who themselves are pawns for the neighboring Arab states that want nothing more than to kill all Jews. Every attempt at giving the Palestinians more autonomy has been doomed by political maneuvering and insane (literally!) violence against Israel. Even if Hamas and company could all be buried in a deep, mass grave, the Palestinians don’t have a great pool of leaders waiting to take over.

The Jews should give up and go home. And where would that be if not the home of their ancestors? It would make as much sense to suggest that any Cherokee who have found their way to Georgia be sent back home to Oklahoma. Even if we ignored the continuous presence of Jews and other Israelites in the Land for more than three thousand years, at the very least, they have the same right of conquest as every other people. The Coosa were driven out by the Cherokee who were driven out by the English who might soon be driven out by someone else. It’s the way the world has always worked.

The Palestinians should all move to friendlier Arab countries to be with their own kind. Again, what countries would that be? Nobody wants them. Jordan, Egypt, and Syria don’t want them. In fact, they would much rather the Palestinians stay in Israel as a destabilizing force. They are pawns without a single real friend in the world, some willingly but most probably ignorantly. They have nowhere else to go. Maybe those non-Israelis who want the Palestinians to leave Israel could volunteer their suburban homes to house a family or two or three?

There are no clear good guys in that mess, and there are far too many bad guys. The only clear thing in my mind is that the land of Israel, especially that land between the Jordan and the Mediterranean, is a special place to God. He entrusted it to Israel once, and although he removed them from it for a time, he promised to give it back to them. The ultimate title to the land has already been established. It is not on the negotiating table.

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Posted in History, Politics, Theology | 3 Comments »

Where’s Our Rocket Packs?

Saturday, June 5th, 2010

I thought it might be fun to see how far we’ve come since Daniel Amos sang this song in the early 80s. I was wrong. This was a depressing exercise.  We have lots of gadgets, but Taylor was right that “some things never change”.

“(It’s the Eighties, So Where’s Our) Rocket Packs”
from the album Vox Humana
Words and Music by Terry Taylor
©1984 Twitchen Vibes Music (ASCAP)

It’s the eighties
It’s the eighties so where’s our rocket packs?
It’s the eighties so where’s our rocket packs?
Go anywhere, we strap them on our backs
1. (It’s the eighties so where’s our rocket packs?)
I thought by now I’d walk the moon
And ride a car without no tires
And have a robot run the vacuum
And date a girl made out of wires
No thing’s don’t change that much, do they?
We are still out of touch, by now we should discover
Just how to love each other, like Klattus’ robot man
Your looks have killed again

2. (It’s the eighties so where’s our rocket packs?)
I thought by now we’d live in space
And eat a pill instead of dinner
And wear a gas mask on our face
A President of female gender
Though progress marches on, (new day)
Our troubles will grow strong
And my expectancies, become my fantasies
You turn my blood to sand, the earth stands still again

My hopes are running low
things moving much too slow
No space men up above
And we’re still so very far from love

3. (It’s the eighties so where’s our rocket packs?)
I thought by now we’d build a dome
Around the world, control the weather
In every house, a picture phone; communicate a little better
But some things never change (replay!)
You are still acting strange
No way that I can see, this way we will be free
La la la la la la,la la la la la 7,6,5,4,3,2,1 Lift off!

(It’s the eighties so where’s our rocket packs?)
Repeat 1, 2, 3
(It’s the eighties)

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Posted in History, Love, Politics, Science | No Comments »

Sh’lach 5770 – How Quickly We Forget

Saturday, June 5th, 2010

Numbers 13:1-15:41
Joshua 2:1-24
Hebrews 3:7-19

There is something wrong with the human mind that we can witness God’s miracles one day and doubt him the next. Our faulty memory fills in the gaps with naturalistic explanations, with gloss and fuzz so that tragedy looms large, but promises fulfilled and prayers answered fade into obscurity.

With the pillar of fire and cloud right there in the camp, the manna appearing every morning, the plague graves still fresh, the Israelites doubted God’s power to bring them into the Promised Land. When they heard God’s judgment of their lapse, they compounded their lack of faith with disobedience. The end of fear–as it always is–was death.

Every one of us lives this same pattern of fear and forgetfulness. It is inherent in the fallen human condition. As a partial remedy, God gave us reminders of his actions, promises, and commands: the feast days, sacrifices, tzitziyot, etc. When we wonder what is the point of those things today, we have only to look in the mirror.

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Posted in Keeping Torah, Parsha 37 - Sh'lach, Theology, Torah | 3 Comments »

B’ha’alotcha 5770 – Assignment

Saturday, May 29th, 2010

Numbers 11:25-29  And YHWH came down in a cloud and spoke to him, and took of the spirit on him and gave it to the seventy elders. And it happened when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they never did so again.  (26)  But two of the men stayed in the camp; the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other was Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them. And they were of those who were written, but did not go out to the tabernacle. And they prophesied in the camp.  (27)  And a young man ran and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.  (28)  And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, make them cease.  (29)  And Moses said to him, Are you jealous for my sake? Would God that all YHWH’s people were prophets, that YHWH would put His Spirit upon them!

Numbers 12:1-9  And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had taken. For he had taken a Cushite woman.  (2)  And they said, Has YHWH indeed spoken only by Moses? Has He not also spoken by us? And YHWH heard.  (3)  (Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all the men on the face of the earth.)  (4)  And YHWH spoke suddenly to Moses and to Aaron and to Miriam, You three come out to the tabernacle of the congregation. And the three came out.  (5)  And YHWH came down in the pillar of the cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both came forth.  (6)  And He said, Hear now My words. If there is a prophet among you, I YHWH will make Myself known to him in a vision, and will speak to him in a dream.  (7)  Not so, My servant Moses. He is faithful in all My house.  (8)  I will speak with him mouth to mouth, even clearly, and not in dark speeches. And he shall behold the likeness of YHWH. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?  (9)  And the anger of YHWH was kindled against them, and He moved.

Many of God’s chosen ministers work long thankless hours or they work in unusual manners or circumstances. We are often tempted to take the former for granted and to shun the latter. This week’s assignment: Single out someone who receives little acknowledgment for their service and give them encouragement or some other kind of support. And when you are tempted to dismiss someone or their ministry because of their unorthodox methods or presentation, look instead at their fruit. Ask yourself if they are truly doing something wrong or if you are just offended by inconsequentials. If God is on their side, who are we to take issue with that?

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Zyxter

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

The Zyxter stuff on Facebook triggered red flags immediately, but I hate to dismiss an idea just because its adherents use a different approach than I would take. So here’s the info from their Facebook page with my comments added:

BELIEFS:

It is our belief that to truly follow Jesus we must show all people the unconditional love and grace of Jesus without any reservations due to their lifestyle or religious background, past or future. [God's love is not unconditional, so why should mine be? "Psalms 5:5-6  The foolish shall not stand in Your sight. You hate all doers of iniquity. You shall destroy those who speak lies; YHWH will despise the bloody and deceitful man."] This love has no agenda behind it (I Corinthians 13:5). This grace sets no timeline on personal change or standards for spiritual growth (Romans 4:4-5). [Don't be so sure of that. "Zechariah 11:6-10  For I will never again pity the people of the land, says YHWH; but lo, I will make the men come out, each one into his neighbor's hand and into his king's hand. And they shall strike the land, and I will not deliver out of their hand.  (7)  And I fed the flock of slaughter, even the poor of the flock. And I took two staffs for myself; the one I called Kindness, and the other I called Union. And I fed the flock.  (8)  I also cut off three shepherds in one month; and my soul was impatient with them, and their soul also despised me.  (9)  And I said, I will not feed you; that which dies, let it die; and that which is to be cut off, let it be cut off. And those left, let them eat, each woman her neighbor's flesh.  (10)  And I took my staff Kindness, and broke it apart, to break My covenant which I had made with all the peoples." "Luke 13:6-9   He also spoke this parable: A certain man had a fig-tree planted in his vineyard. And he came and sought fruit on it, and found none.  (7)  And he said to the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree, and find none. Cut it down, why does it encumber the ground?  (8)  And answering, he said to him, Lord, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and throw manure.  (9)  And if it bears fruit, well; and if not, then after that you shall cut it down." "Revelation 3:16  So because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth."] The idea is to be a part of people’s lives because we truly care for them rather than to fulfill a religious duty; to walk with them through all their struggles as a part of their life, not as a religious outsider.

The Zyxter Church project is built on a core set of beliefs that we call our Essential Beliefs. These are the beliefs in which we have unity and on which we base our fundamental decisions.

◊ In Essential Beliefs – we have unity

(Ephesians 4:4-6)
There is one Body and one Spirit…there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of us all.. [No argument from me there.]

◊ In Non-Essential Beliefs – we have liberty

(Romans 14:1, 4, 12, 22)
Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters…Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls…So then each of us will give an account of himself to God…So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. [No argument from me there either. This is something that I have said repeatedly.]

◊ In All our Beliefs – we show charity

(I Corinthians 13:2)
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. [I'm definitely on board with this one!]

THE ESSENTIALS WE BELIEVE:

About God:

God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three personalities: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are coequal and are one God. [I could quibble with the choice of words, but I don't have any serious problems with this.]
(Genesis 1:1,26,27 , 3:22 ; Psalm 90:2 ; Matthew 28:19 ; 1 Peter 1:2 ; 2 Corinthians 13:14)

About Jesus Christ:

Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is coequal with the Father and Holy Spirit. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven and will return again someday to earth to reign as King. [OK. No real problem here.]
(Matthew 1:22,23 ; Isaiah 9:6 ; John 1:1-5 , 14:10-30 ; Hebrews 4:14-15 ; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 ; Romans 1:3-4 ; Acts 1:9-11 ; 1 Timothy 6:14-15 ; Titus 2:13)

About the Holy Spirit:

The Holy Spirit is coequal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. He gives every believer spiritual gifts when they are saved. As Christians we seek to live under His control daily. [Cool.]
(Acts 1:8 ; 2 Corinthians 3:17 ; John 16:7-13 , 14:16-17 ; Galatians 5:25 ; 1 Corinthians 2:12 , 3:16 ; Ephesians 1:13 , 5:18)

About the Bible:

The Bible is God’s Word to us. It was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs about living. Because it is inspired by God, it is truth without error. [Supreme source of truth? Maybe it's just a matter of semantics, but God is the supreme source of all truth. The Bible, as a reliable record of God's revelation to man, is an excellent standard by which to measure other "revelations." Somehow I don't think they really believe this anyway. Very few Christians do.]
(2 Timothy 3:16 , 1:13 ; 2 Peter 1:20-21 ; Psalm 119:105 , 160 , 12:6 ; Proverbs 30:5)

About Human Beings:

People are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. People are the supreme object of God’s creation. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called “sin”. Sin separates us from God and causes many problems in our life. [That attitude is not "sin" in itself. It is an inclination toward sin, which is the violation of God's law. "1 John 3:4  Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness."]
(Genesis 1:27 ; Psalm 8:3-6 ; Isaiah 53:6a ; Romans 3:23 ; Isaiah 59:1-2)

About Salvation:

Salvation is God’s free gift to us but we must accept it. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin’s penalty. When we turn from our self-ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith. [I would agree with this statement, except that I think I would disagree with their definition of the phrase, "turn from our self-ruled life." Salvation requires repentance, which is turning away from sin, and it doesn't sound like they care too much about that. If you refuse to turn away from sin, how can you claim salvation from it? "Acts 3:19  Therefore repent and convert so that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." "James 2:17  Even so, if it does not have works, faith is dead, being by itself." "Revelation 2:5  Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and will remove your lampstand out of its place unless you repent." "Revelation 2:16  Repent! But if not I will come to you quickly, and will fight with them by the sword of My mouth."]
(Romans 6:23 ; Ephesians 2:8-9 ; John 14:6 , 1:2 ; Titus 3:5 ; Galatians 3:26 ; Romans 5:1 , 10:9-10)

About Eternity:

People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life in Heaven. Heaven and hell are real places of eternal existence. [Pretty standard fare here. I'm not sure I entirely buy the party line, but I won't argue with it either. At least not yet.]
(John 3:16 , 14:17 ; Romans 6:23 , 8:17-18 ; Revelation 20:15 ; 1 Corinthians 2:7-9)

So, there you have it. Zyxter appears to be just another attempt to build a seeker-friendly, social club–all smiles and good feelings, but very little of real substance.

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Posted in Theology | 1 Comment »

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