Archive for » April, 2010 «

Shem-Tov

Friday, April 30th, 2010 | Author:

therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things, and do not do them. Matthew 23:3

They – You may want to digest this one sitting down.  Open your favorite English Bible to this passage.  Notice that Yeshua is giving instructions about the necessity of observing Torah.  If we read this verse in English or in Greek, it appears as if Yeshua is telling His disciples to follow the commands of the rabbis, but not to do them in hypocritical ways.  This is the usual standard interpretation of the verse.  It is still a difficulty for those who have been taught that the Torah doesn’t apply to Christians, but once you see the real place of the Torah, it looks as if Yeshua is also encouraging compliance with the teachings of the rabbis.  In this case, that would mean the teachings of the oral Torah and the additional instructions provided by rabbinic thought.

But there’s just one tiny, tiny problem.  Nehemia Gordon investigated this Greek text by comparing it to a Hebrew text of the gospel of Matthew preserved by a 14th Century Spanish Jew named Shem-Tov Ibn Shaprut.  Textual investigation of this copy demonstrates that it faithfully retains the wording of an original Hebrew gospel of Matthew.  That conclusion is further substantiated by remarks of the early Christian church fathers and considerable analysis of the Hebrew syntax and grammar of Matthew’s account.  When we sort through all the scholarly examination, we discover that the Hebrew text of this verse doesn’t read “all that they tell you.”   The verse in Hebrew says, “Therefore, all that he says to you, do and observe, but according to their reforms and their precedents do not do, because they talk but they do not do.”  In other words, Yeshua is telling His disciples to stick with Moses.  Do what the Torah tells you to do, but don’t follow the opinions, additions, reforms or patterns established by the rabbis.

This is a very big deal!  It provides evidence that supports what we already know about the teaching of Yeshua.  He called the people back to God’s Word.  He wasn’t as much a reformer as He was fundamentalist.  Over and over, He points back to the Hebrew Scriptures as the only source of faith and practice.  His commentary on Scripture always returns to God’s original intention.  We see it in His remarks on marriage and divorce, on tithing, on the treatment of enemies and on the purpose of Israel’s calling.  Now, in this Hebrew gospel of Matthew, we find strong support for single Torah observance.  Life is to be lived by the Book, not by the accumulation of theological opinion that surrounds the Book.

For those who recognize the fundamental place of Torah in the life of the believer, this is clarifying news.  Many other passages come into focus.  Even Paul’s remarks take on a new emphasis.  For those who have not crossed the gap between Torah and “grace,” this discovery might take some of the pressure off.  Either way, isn’t it nice to know that our Savior was a Biblical conservative?  Gives us direction, doesn’t it?

Topical Index: Torah, seat of Moses, Shem-Tov, Matthew 23:3

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A Year of Brokenness

Thursday, April 29th, 2010 | Author:

Oh, you thought this was about spiritual brokenness before God.  Well, it sort of is.  But mostly it’s about the results of everything breaking.  First, the vacuum cleaner.  Not really a big deal.  After holding it together with duct tape (yeah!) and wood screws, it finally quit.  Result: paying for a new vacuum cleaner.  Then, the car.  At 168,000 miles, some things begin to break.  In this case, several things.  $528 later the air conditioning functions again (a necessity in Florida).  OK, so we swallow some unexpected bills this month.  But wait (like the commercial), more to come.  Next came the hot tub (still broken) and then the big one – our central air conditioning system.  Shorted to ground.  Compressor blown.  New system – with lots of help from JT and the people at his company – $6000.  Oh my, I don’t make that much in a month or more.  Now what do we do?  Then my son returns to college after knee surgery – $2500.  Then several appliances quit.  Fortunately April is about over.  Maybe May will be better.  There’s not much left to break.

So, by the time we get to the end of April, we are upside down by nearly $10,000.  Not so bad if you can spread it out over a long time, but what is broken can’t wait to be fixed unless we want to live in a tent in the summer heat.  Physical brokenness leads directly to spiritual brokenness.  “Lord, what are we supposed to do now?”

The Hebrew word for “wait” is hakah.  It is not a passive verb.  Like all Hebrew verbs, waiting is movement or action.  How is this possible?  Don’t we just sit in the doctor’s office, waiting for something to happen?  Don’t we say to ourselves, “Why do I have to wait so long when I could be doing something?”  Apparently, waiting is not doing in our world.  But it is doing something in the Hebrew world.  It is traveling on the continuum from frenetic activity to calm, expectant trust.  Both ends of the continuum are active.  Waiting is active expectation and anticipation.  It is the action of holding your breath in anticipation of God’s arrival.  He is there, just over the horizon, and if we could just stand a little taller, we would see Him coming.  We can hardly sit passively still with this kind of attitude.  We are like the maidens who hear the arrival of the bridegroom.  We are ready to jump up and go at a moment’s notice.  We are sitting in the doctor’s office on the edge of the chair.  The engine is racing but the clutch isn’t engaged.  And when we do pop the clutch, look out!  Whoosh!  We are off.

A year of brokenness provides lots of opportunity for drag strip faith.  Any second God will drop the green light and we’ll be in full throttle, tires burning up the pavement, heading toward the finish line.  But until the green light comes on, we wait!  All of the experiences (and events) that prepare us for the green light are part of the waiting process.  They are just elements of the explosive run to the finish.  In other words, the active ingredients of waiting begin with the first moment of slowing down.  That’s when the vacuum quit.  Everything else simply provided the grounds for active waiting.

You can’t win a drag race if you’re not revving the engine at a stand-still.  Just wait to pop the clutch.

PS – I guess we weren’t quite done.  Now the roofer is here because the water is leaking into the house.  Oh, I can’t wait to pop the clutch.

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Stay in Step

Thursday, April 29th, 2010 | Author:

“A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.” Luke 6:40

Fully Trained – If we examine the Greek text, we are likely to conclude that Yeshua’s remark is just commonsense.  Of course a pupil isn’t superior to his teacher.  Of course the goal is to be fully trained so that we can be like the teacher.  But, of course, this reading transports the imagery into our modern idea of classroom instruction.  And that’s not what Yeshua meant.

The Greek word here is katartizo.  It is derived from two other words, kata (with) and artizo (to adjust, fit or finish – from artios – complete).  Generally, it means to put something in its appropriate condition, to establish something or equip it.  Therefore, we have the English translation “fully trained.”

Two things need to be considered as we examine this text.  First, the Hebrew view of the relationship between teacher (rabbi) and pupils (talmidim) isn’t the same as our cultural view, and second, Yeshua would not only have employed the Hebrew concept of rabbinic discipleship, he would also use words from the Hebrew Scriptures to establish the authority of His teaching.  Therefore, we will have to look backward into the past to discover what He meant.

The first step is fairly straightforward.  In the Hebrew model of education, rabbis picked their students.  They picked them because they showed promise.  The education itself revolved around absorbing, through word and deed, the lifestyle, thoughts, attitudes and actions of the rabbi.  This was not information transfer.  A pupil did not reach full maturity until the pupil became what the rabbi embodied – a perfect copy of the teacher.

The second step in our analysis takes us back to Psalm 17:5 and other Hebrew Scriptures.  There we find that the Greek word is a translation of the Hebrew tamak.  Other Hebrew words used for the Greek expression are kun, nathan and nashav.  What can we learn about the similarities between these Hebrew words?  They are all generally about establishing or making firm.  The meanings cover “to appoint, to erect, to take a stand, to place, to set up, to make firm, to support.”  How do these words fill in the Greek idea from Luke?  The concept of “fully trained” means to produce a pupil who is ready to take the stand of the rabbi, who establishes the rabbi’s words and deeds by repeating them, who supports what the rabbi taught by incorporating that teaching into his own life.  In other words, to be fully trained is to walk in the footsteps of the rabbi so long that eventually there is no distinguishable difference between the two.  If we are going to be fully trained by Yeshua, the day should come when an outside observer isn’t able to tell where He stops and we begin.  An outside observer should be able to say, “That man – that woman – they are the hands and feet of their Lord.”  Is that day coming for you?

Topical Index:  fully trained, katartizo, tamak, kun, nathan, nashav, Luke 6:40

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Comments on a verb in Psalm 33:11

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010 | Author:

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HELP – I need a WORDPRESS guru

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010 | Author:

Hi Everyone,

At God’s Table wants to make some changes to the web site, but we need some real expertise.  So, I am hoping that someone in the community knows a lot about WordPress and is willing to help us.  If you are that person, please contact me.

Thanks,

Skip

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A Matter of Origin

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010 | Author:

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world.” John 18:36

Of – Peter Leithart argues that we have fundamentally misunderstood the intention of the Kingdom because we have converted this New Testament concept into something that fits our culture.[1] We don’t think in terms of kings and kingdoms these days.  We think in terms of nations and political leaders, so we believe Christianity fits within an existing political entity.  We are Christian inside the nation of the United States or Honduras or Mozambique.  We have redefined the biblical idea as if it were about religious practice within the culture.  In our view, Christianity fits into the Western world, a world that consists of many different nations.  This is anachronistic tragedy.  It is reading the text as if it were written for us, not for people who knew nothing but competing world empires.

A kingdom in Yeshua’s time was not a nation.  It was an empire that consumed and incorporated and assimilated all other ethnic, geographical, political and social interests.  A kingdom sought one thing and one thing only – world domination.  Persia, Assyria, Egypt and Rome had this in common.  Everyone not included in the empire was an enemy and the solution to all enemies was either death or submission.  When Yeshua stands before Pilate, the discussion about kingdoms is not about making room for a spiritual kingdom that will co-exist with an earthly kingdom.  The discussion is about domination.  It is about removing, subduing, conquering or converting all outsiders.  Unfortunately, our political bias and mistaken historical perspective alter the text just enough so it reads as if it were about two kingdoms existing side by side – the Church and the State.  But that’s not what Yeshua says.

The Greek text reads eme ouk estin ek tou kosmou toutou (“My not is out of the world this”).  The preposition is ek not de.  The preposition ek means “out of” or “from,” not “of.”  In other words, Yeshua responds to Pilate, “Mine does not come out of this world.”  This is a statement about its origin, not its location.  The Kingdom of Heaven comes from God Himself.  It is not derived from earthly or human origin like every other kingdom.  Therefore, its citizens do not act like the citizens of any other kingdom.  But make no mistake.  It is a Kingdom and it seeks what all kingdoms seek – domination.  In fact, God Himself guarantees that His kingdom will come on earth, and by that He means that the Kingdom of Heaven will be the only kingdom on earth.  In the end, God wins.

As a result of many corrupting influences, not least of which is the Reformation, we seem to accept a dual-kingdom world.  We think that Christianity does not seek earthly dominion.  We think Yeshua wants us to join the heavenly kingdom while we are settled into whatever version of national boundaries we choose.  We are wrong.  God seeks dominion – now and in the future.  We are called to bring about the Kingdom on earth.  That means instituting God’s instructions here and now in expectation of His eventual victory.  If we aren’t taking active steps toward Kingdom building, steps that have direct consequences for the destruction of other empires, then we have missed the point.

Islam understands this.  Christians do not.  This picture was taken on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

Dome of the Rock

It is a picture of the Dome of the Rock, Islam’s third most holy site.  You will notice that the usual half-moon circle found above Islamic mosques is closed.  It is a full circle.  Why?  Because it is the symbol of world domination.  Our enemies know what is at stake while we bury our heads in the sand, pretending that God just wants everyone to come to heaven.  Empires do not co-exist.  They fight until one is defeated.  Yeshua knew that.  Do we?

Topical Index:  empire, kingdom, ek, John 18:36

[1] See Peter Leithart, Against Christianity.

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Playing Opposites

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010 | Author:

But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin. Romans 14:23

Sin – Kenneth Bailey makes an interesting observation about this verse.  “We expect [Paul] to say ‘whatsoever is not of faith is unbelief.’  But for Paul the opposite of faith is sin because his understanding of faith includes obedience.”[1] Bailey doesn’t go quite far enough.  For Paul, faith doesn’t include obedience.  Faith is obedience.  Since the Hebrew view of obedience is obedience of the heart, and the heart is the seat of emotions, volition and cognition, faith without obedience is a contradiction.  Faith isn’t something I believe.  It is something that encompasses my feelings, my thoughts and my actions.

What this means is that there is no such thing as faith as mental assent.  Greek culture might call cognitive apprehension and propositional declaration of a doctrine or dogma faith, but that doesn’t make it so.  Hebrew faith expresses me, all of me, on the Way toward alignment with God’s purposes and will.  It isn’t a moment of conversion.  It is a lifetime of transformation.  It is START without STOP, a change in direction, a new way to go, perseverance toward hope.

Of course, the road is bumpy.  The road has potholes and diversions and dangerous bridges.  We get tired.  We get confused.  We make terrible judgments.  But it’s a lifetime of travel in the same direction.  To go another way is sin.  So, the opposite of obedience is the wrong way.  The opposite of faith is sin.

“In every culture the message of the gospel is in constant danger of being compromised by the value system that supports that culture and its goals.”[2] If we are going to be faithful, we must recognize, understand, evaluate and reject this compromise.  It doesn’t matter how long the compromise has been part of our thinking.  It doesn’t matter where it came from or the motivations behind it.  To compromise obedience to the instructions of the Lord is to walk away from faith, no matter what name you put on it.  Compromise is sin.

THINK! Think about the values of this culture.  Identify a few of them and see if they are present in your “faith.”  Maybe you’ll find intellectualism or the desire to be recognized.  Maybe you’ll discover fear underneath your financial incentives.  Maybe you’ll uncover denominational or doctrinal pride, or anxious addictions, or selective concern for others or a tolerant view of sexuality.  Maybe you just want to be right.  “Whatever is not from a lifelong commitment to the ways of God is sin.”

Topical Index:  sin, obedience, Romans 14:23, culture, values

[1] Kenneth Bailey, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, p. 166.

[2] Bailey, p. 166.

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Merit Badge

Monday, April 26th, 2010 | Author:

And because he put his trust in YHWH, He reckoned it to his merit. Genesis 15:6 (JPS translation)

To – Yesterday we looked at the passage in Deuteronomy that suggests our meritorious deeds matter.  We discovered that tsedaqah (righteousness) is a very old expression of God’s accounting.  But one further point must be made.  In Genesis 15:6, the paradigm example of righteousness, the Hebrew text actually says, “He (YHWH) counted it to him for (or as) righteousness” (lo tsedaqah).[1] What else can we say about this Hebrew construction?

First, we must note that this verse may be a narrative explanation within the text of the story.  In other words, it’s like an aside, a comment that Moses, the author, puts into the story in order to explain to his readers what is happening.

Second, the verbal form of ‘aman (to trust) indicates that this is not a one-time act.  It is rather a summary of Abraham’s continual lifestyle.  It is an action that is repeated over and over again.  Abraham faithfully demonstrates a life of trust (compare Genesis 12:1-4, 7; 13:14-18).

Third, the text indicates that God assessed Abraham’s continual trust as righteousness.  Nahum Sarna says, “Abram’s act of faith made him worthy of God’s reward, which is secured through the covenant.” [2] Sarna cites other verses that confirm this interpretation.[3]

How does Moses recall the faithfulness of Abraham in this context?  Read verses 1-5.  The entire event surrounds the lack of an heir.  God asks Abraham to please (the particle na) look up at the heavens and rely on God’s promise.  Abraham does.  It is Abraham’s demonstration of trust that God considers the equivalent of tsedaqah.  God’s counts it for righteousness.  God credits this as merit.  Abraham wasn’t a Boy Scout.  He didn’t have a list of tasks to perform in order to achieve the merit badge of faith, but God have it to him anyway, on the basis of Abraham’s trust in God’s promise.  At those moments when Abraham was asked to fix his life on God’s words, Abraham responded.  God considered this worthy and called it tsedaqah.

All of us can follow Abraham.  We can choose to trust God’s promise.  In fact, He asks us to do so.  We can determine to live our lives on the basis of His words.  When we do, we merit tsedaqah.  It’s not that we have the list of tasks to accomplish so that we can say, “Look, God.  I did everything You told me to do.  Now I deserve tsedaqah.”  No, it’s more like the case of a continual and repeated behavior to put our lives under His care, according to His purposes and timing.  When we do this, we are like Abraham.  God sees our efforts as worthy and counts us righteous.

Does that mean we don’t need forgiveness?  Does that mean we don’t need to rely on a savior, a rescuer?  Of course not!  Do you suppose that your decisions to trust God compel Him to give you righteous status?  The merit credited to you is merit that comes from God, not from you.  Paul saw the difference.  That’s why he loved this verse.  Do you see it too?

John Stott said something critically important for those of us who are trying to understand.  “The hallmark of an authentic evangelicalism is not the uncritical repetition of old traditions but the willingness to submit every tradition, however ancient, to fresh biblical scrutiny and, if necessary, reform.”

Topical Index:  Genesis 15:6, lo, righteousness, merit, tsedaqah, Nehemiah 9:7-8, Psalm 106:30, Numbers 25:6-13

[1] For a technical discussion of the Hebrew preposition lo, see this.

[2] Nahum Sarna, The JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis, p. 113.

[3] Cf. Nehemiah 9:7-8, Psalm 196:30f. Numbers 25:6-13.

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Meritorious Behavior

Sunday, April 25th, 2010 | Author:

It will be therefore to our merit before YHWH Eloheinu to observe faithfully this whole instruction, as He has commanded us. Deuteronomy 6:24 (JPS translation with name corrections)

Merit – After the Reformation, verses like this one are difficult to integrate.  Perhaps that’s one of the reasons that Christianity created the chasm between the “old” Israel and the “new” Israel.  It was so much easier to simply say that the idea of meritorious behavior belonged to the old covenant of Jewish “works” while the new (and improved) theology of Christianity rested securely on grace alone.  As we recover the Hebraic foundation of our faith in YHWH Eloheinu (YHWH our God), we sometimes feel quite uncomfortable with the sola gratia emphasis of orthodox Protestant Christianity.  All of this results from a basic misunderstanding of the Hebrew idea of righteousness (tsedaqah).

The paradigm verse of Jewish Hebraic tsedaqah is Genesis 15:6 (cited by Paul in Romans 4).  Abraham believed in YHWH and it was credited to him as tsedaqah.  In addition to “righteousness – merit” (tsedaqah), this verse has two critical verbs.  The first is “believed” (he-emin).  The verbal root is ‘aman.  Often translated “trust” or “believe,” the primary meaning is to be reliable, firm, established.  In other words, Abraham took God’s words as completely reliable.  He build his actions on them.  He established them as the bedrock of his life.  For this reason, tsedaqah was “credited” or “reckoned” to him.  This second verbal root is hashav.  It has a wide umbrella (to think, to devise, to invent, to consider, to regard, to be accounted, to reckon oneself).  Some of these meanings are limited when God is the subject.  That is the case here.  So, we normally translate this verb as “reckoned” or “accounted.”

Put aside any pre-commitments to Reformation interpretation and ask yourself, “What is the face-value meaning of this verse?”  Isn’t it obvious?  Abraham trusts what God says and God counts that trust as tsedaqah, as if Abraham had earned merit before God.  Of course, in one sense Abraham didn’t earn anything.  He didn’t earn “saving faith” because God granted it to him.  Righteousness was credited to Abraham.  It was a gift.  Abraham could never have demanded it for it was not his to earn.  God has to count this act of faith as if it were tsedaqah.

On the other hand, Abraham did do something, didn’t he?  He chose to believe!  He decided to accept what God said as the reliable foundation for his actions.  This wasn’t cognitive assent.  This was the basis for Abraham’s life.  He staked everything on God’s promise, so it isn’t as if Abraham is completely passive here.  Unless he makes this choice, there is nothing that can be counted as righteousness.  Abraham decides to count on God.  God decides to accept Abraham’s choice as if it is tsedaqah.  From the Hebrew perspective, both are needed.  No human action is completely righteous by itself, but human actions that express faithful reliance on God’s word can become righteousness because God will count them as such.

Now we can understand why Jewish interpreters of this verse in Deuteronomy say “one accumulates credit for meritorious deeds.”  “The concept is like that of acquiring ‘principal’ in the Talmudic idea that ‘a good deed yields a principal and bears interest,’ as in the list of ‘deeds whose interest one uses in this world while the principal remains for the hereafter.’”[1]

Is it possible to do good deeds that God counts as tsedaqah?  Of course it is.  Does this mean that we can earn our way into His presence.  Fortunately, no.  This is fortunate because no one is able to do all that is necessary to be completely righteous, so we must all depend on God’s compassionate grace to extend righteousness to us – and quite fortunately, He is willing to do that.  But His grace does not remove the possibility that our faithful obedience doesn’t count at all.  It does.  Every act of obedience redeems the earth and glorifies Him.  It matters.  Oh, yes it does!

Topical Index:  Genesis 15:6, Deuteronomy 6:24, Psalm 106:31, tsedaqah, righteousness, ‘aman, hashav, merit

[1] Jeffrey Tigay, The JPS Torah Commentary: Deuteronomy, p. 83.

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The Sleeper Awakes

Saturday, April 24th, 2010 | Author:

It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, because that is the end of every man, and the living takes it to heart. Ecclesiastes 7:2

Takes It To Heart – “Blessed are those who mourn.”  At least that’s the way we usually read Matthew 5:4.  But a little reflection on Ecclesiastes helps us see that there is more to the Beatitude than promised comfort at a funeral.

Even the Greek text shows us that there is something odd going on in Matthew.  The opening word isn’t a verb.  It doesn’t say “Blessed are.”  It is an adjective.  It describes the state of bliss that already exists for these people.  The Greek text also shows us that the condition of mourning is in the present, active tense.  It’s not about sometime in the future when you will (or might) mourn.  It’s about experiencing grief right now.  The people who experience bliss are the ones being crushed by grief.  This is exactly what the Teacher of Ecclesiastes says.  It’s far better to go to a place of weeping, sorrow and grief than it is to go to a place of eating and celebrating.  Why is it better?  For the same reason that Yeshua implies in His teaching.  It is better because those who are mourning are experiencing life at the raw edge.  They are on the cusp of the spiritual/physical slice through the universe.  Mourning means that they have given up their self-delusions about control, power and protection.  They know that life is fragile, and that they are not in charge.

Most of the time we operate on the mistaken belief that life revolves around us.  Most of the time we think that tomorrow will be the same as today.  Only when life jolts us do we see the real picture of our existence, that we depend on God’s graciousness for every breath.  Mourning brings about the acute awareness of powerlessness – an essential ingredient in spiritual growth.  Both Qohelet and Yeshua knew that those who are mourning are ready to receive God’s gracious favor.  In fact, the ones who still think that life is supposed to be the way that we want it to be are far from the humility needed to find God.  Those who are mourning open God’s heart.  He feels our anguish too.  The Great Hunter-Lover reaches to us.  Unless we have reached the end of ourselves, unless we are broken, like the ones who mourn, we will not notice that God is here.  We will miss the great announcement:  God is with us right now.

yiten el-libo is the Hebrew phrase for “take to heart.”  Tragedy wakes the sleeper.  Tragedy cuts through the drugged illusion of self-sufficiency.  Tragedy just might be the needed antidote enabling us to see who we really are.  And that is good.  Better to be in that place than in the place where life’s routine dulls our sensitivity to the hand of our Creator.

Topical Index:  mourn, Matthew 5:4, Ecclesiastes 7:2, yiten el-libo

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