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Experience Matters

Saturday, March 23rd, 2013 | Author:

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the lord your God is giving you.  Exodus 20:12  ESV

by Michael Moen

Honor – The word kabbed is found 376 times in the Hebrew Bible. It is used over half the time as a reference to a “weighty” person in society, someone who is honorable, impressive, worthy of respect. Today is my birthday and now I am turning 24 years old. My father asked if I would write a Today’s Word edition and I chose to speak about an issue I believe to be very important.  I look to this verse and wonder why my age group has turned their gaze away from honoring their parents and elders.  For whatever reason I originally grew up with the utmost respect for my elders, especially my grandfather, but as I grew into my teens it seemed that my age group and society in general whether it be social media or my educational environment, promoted the belief that I was capable of figuring out my life and path on my own.  After all, I knew what trends were more popular then my parents; I knew how to use a computer and a cell phone better then most adults; so it seemed reasonable that what the world was feeding me was right, that I didn’t need the guidance of those who walked before me because it seemed I was capable of figuring it all out without them. However, what I came to discover was the more I ignored the counsel of those who walked before me, the more I became lost in my faith.

Today society promotes what is new.  Even before the iPhone 5 came out people were already beginning to discuss what the iPhone 6 was going to offer.  What was popular was always what was new, technology and everything else.  Many ministries I look at and churches I have been involved in adamantly promote young adults to go off and represent what the ministry and church is about, because youth appears to be more attractive.  What I have realized as a young adult is that when the whole world is telling those my age how wonderful it is to be young and how I need to do all I can right now while I have the opportunities, I slowly begin to neglect or disregard what those with years of experience have to offer me.  I no longer need their advice.  After all, most of the advice I get is not in the best interest of me becoming popular because most of it explains what I am doing wrong, and I don’t believe I am wrong.  I believe that what I know is more accurate than what my elders tell me because I grew up in a different world than my elders did.  They just don’t understand how things have changed.  I look back at this and thank God that He showed me the error of my ways.  Millard Erickson writes, “In our day, especially in western cultures old persons are sometimes looked down upon. In part this is due to the cult of youth; youth is exalted as the fullest expression of humanity.”[1] Erickson explains that the Hebrews held great honor for those of old age.  I now know why this was the case.  My Grandfather, my parents, and my mentors all have lived out their lives in relationship with God and have deepened their relationship with Him in ways that only experience can obtain.  Just like marriage or friendship, the longer you maintain it the deeper it becomes.

I now look to my elders again with an open mind knowing that what they have to tell me will help me as I experience the same struggles they faced, even despite the fact that they may have experience these things under different circumstances.  I hope and pray that my life will help others my age look towards their elders with respect and open minds.  I hope and pray that your children learn this valuable lesson that will help serve them in their lives as they grow into the men and woman of God that He is calling them to be.  I pray that my age group begins to realize that youth can be fruitful in many things but there is so much more for us to learn before we really have the capability to be effective in God’s plan for us.  I hope that all of those who read this know that I wish to learn from you and what you have to say, so I might strengthen my relationship with God and prepare myself to endure the hardships that a life of faith involves.  I thank all of those who have gone out of their way to give me advice and counsel.  I hope that the young men and woman that all of you influence learn the value of what you have to offer them!

Topical Index:  honor, elders, parents, Exodus 20:12i kabbed

 


[1] Millard Erickson, Systematic Theology, 2nd Edition, pp. 568-569.

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High Blood Pressure

Saturday, March 17th, 2012 | Author:

And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations; knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint . . .  Romans 5:3-5  NASB

Tribulations – Can you think upside-down?  Putting on the “new man” requires more than a change of clothes.  It requires a renewal of the mind.  That means seeing what is happening in the world with different eyes, recognizing the fingerprints of God in places most people attempt to avoid and hearing His voice when the rest of the world is shouting blasphemy.  And it all begins with afflictions.

Paul chooses the Greek word thlipsis.  What a wonderful word!  Here is just a taste of the imagery.

To be pressed – Did you think of discomforting pressure?  In one Greek play, the word means “to kiss.”  But of course it does.  Kissing is pressing the lips together, isn’t it?  Can you imagine that afflictions are God’s kisses?

To squeeze – The sense is making a space smaller and smaller.  Is your world being compressed?  But don’t forget the other picture.  The narrow gate is the only way into the Kingdom.  Have you thought of afflictions as signposts on the way to the narrow gate?

To oppress – Greek philosophy taught that the last great oppression is death, and that the goal of Mankind is to assert freedom through stoic endurance, to die as we choose.  But the Hebrew word for oppression, anaw, is a powerful sign of those whom God loves beyond measure.  It is at the heart of the third Beatitude (Matthew 5:5 quoting Psalm 37:11).  The ones who experience forced oppression have a guarantee from God.  Did you realize that your affliction as one of the saints is God’s seal of your worthiness in the olam ha’ba?

To be treated hostilely, as an enemy – Are your tribulations separating you from others?  Are one-time friends estranged because you follow the King?  Are you the outsider these days?  Those painful experiences connect us with another double meaning.  The mark of agape is the love of an enemy, and how will we learn such love if we are always among friends?  Do you experience your afflictions as God’s training camp in agape?

How you understand and deal with afflictions probably says more about who you are in Christ than any other living statement you could make.  Are your afflictions the highlights of your witness to the world?

Just a few thoughts about “the fellowship of His suffering.”

Topical Index:  thlipsis, afflictions, honor, oppression, anaw, Romans 5:3

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Only in Hebrew

Sunday, July 03rd, 2011 | Author:

Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hands of the Egyptians . . . Exodus 14:30  NASB

Saved – If you’ve never asked yourself why God chose Hebrew as the language of His personal revelation, this verse should raise the question.  Oh, it seems so straightforward on the surface, but that’s because we don’t pay much attention to the rabbis’ view of the consonants in Hebrew.  However, when Rabbi Akiva read this verse, he noticed that changing the vowels (a perfectly legitimate thing to do since there aren’t any vowels in the written text) made a difference so great that it alters everything we think about deliverance.  Only in Hebrew.  Only in Hebrew could you notice this change.  Only in Hebrew could the alternative reading still be a correct one.  Only in Hebrew would God reveal a second meaning in the same word.

The usual rendering of this word (the root word is yasha’ – to deliver, to rescue, to save) is vayyosha’ (“Thus the LORD delivered”).  But the word may also be read as vayyivvasha’.  This reading makes the verb reflexive.  Now it would be translated “Thus the LORD was delivered.”  Akiva noticed that with this reading God Himself was delivered when the people of Israel were saved from the Egyptians.  Rabbi Meir echoed the same interpretation when he said, “Redemption is mine and yours, and I, as it were, was redeemed with you, as it is said: ‘whom you have redeemed for yourself from Egypt, a people and its God.’”[1]

What does Akiva mean?  He means that redemption is a divine need, that it is not simply a matter of God saving Man but also of God saving Himself through the deliverance of Man.  Akiva taught that salvation was a concern of God Himself and even though God chose Israel to bring this about, God will insure that redemption occurs even if Israel totally fails in its mission.  Why?  Because God will be glorified.  God will be magnified.  And that means that God will absolutely bring about the restoration of His creation because it reflects Him.  We should never be in doubt about God’s ultimate success since God’s own name is at risk in this process.  We hallow His name when we fulfill His commandments because we bring His reflection into a broken world, but God Himself hallows His own name in the process of restoration and He will accomplish this no matter what.  It is on this basis and on this reading that Heschel can say, “God is in search of Man.”

What do we learn?  We learn that we are of concern to God not simply because God loves us (that is quite a lot) but also because God’s honor and glory are wrapped up in deliverance.  When God rescues us, He also rescues Himself.  He restores His own honor.  God does love us, but even more, He will bring honor to Himself – and you and I are a part of how that will be done.  You and I are essential to restoring God’s honor.  How does that make you feel?

Topical Index:  Akiva, saved, yasha’, honor, Exodus 14:30

[1] As cited in Abraham Heschel, Heavenly Torah, p. 107.

 

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The Royal Invitation

Tuesday, October 05th, 2010 | Author:

Prepare to meet your God, O Israel Amos 4:12

To Meet – When you read this verse, what do you think about?  Do you see the man with the placard walking the streets proclaiming the day of doom?  Do you hear the preacher asking where you would be if you died tonight?  Do you see the cartoons satirizing religion with “The End Is Near” scenarios?  As Abraham Heschel notes, this verse is usually interpreted as preparation for disaster.  But that isn’t what it means at all.  The real imagery is uncovered when we know the Hebrew verb qara (the word here has the preposition attached – liqrath).  Heschel explains that this word “denotes either to go to a place to receive favorably a person upon arrival, or to oppose someone in battle; it does not mean to head for disaster.”[1]

Are you relieved?  Now you can ignore those sermons of fire and brimstone, of impending doom and the threat of the grave.  Now you can confidently walk past that man with the “End is Near” sign knowing that he doesn’t understand Hebrew.  Isn’t that comforting?

Well, maybe not.  You see, Amos is still asking us to prepare to meet our God.  We should be preparing to meet the King of the universe.  We should be preparing to be ushered into the presence of holiness.  Even Isaiah realized that he didn’t belong in that room.  While qara might not be about impending doom, it certainly suggests that we can’t come casually.  God is not our buddy, our personal best friend or our good neighbor.  When we prepare to meet Him, we prepare to stand before the Almighty, the King of kings, the Aleph and Tau, the One and only.  Perhaps we do not need to worry about judgment and punishment, but standing in the presence of the Holy is no less frightening.  It is not a matter of being sentenced by the Judge.  It is a matter of honoring Him with the proper protocol, respect and admiration.  Would you come to the halls of the high court in shorts and sandals?  Would you show up at a royal wedding in a swimsuit?  Would you refuse to bow before an emperor or salute a great general?  God stands far above all these and yet we offer Him only the smallest of acknowledgements with our made-up protocols.

Of course, Amos is not interested simply in the appropriate rituals.  Neither is God.  We prepare to pay Him homage and honor when we live according to His commands.  Our lives are the sacrifices that demonstrate ritual purity before Him.  Our hearts are open to His inspection.  We prepare by fulfilling His desires out of love for who He is.

Preparation is a honor, not a threat.  The invitation assumes we are worthy to come before Him.  We are invited to receive Him as the King of the universe.  Not all accept the invitation.  Not all prepare.  Some are left outside when the door to the wedding feast closes.

Topical Index:  meet, qara, preparation, honor, doom, Amos 4:12

[1] Abraham Heschel, The Prophets, Vol. 1, p. 37.

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The Back-handed Compliment

Sunday, April 18th, 2010 | Author:

But I say to you, do not resist him who is evil; but whoever slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.  Matthew 5:39

Right Cheek – Stand in front of a friend.  Go through the motion of slapping him on the right cheek.  What did you discover?  If you are right-handed, the natural way of slapping on the right cheek of another person is with the back of your hand.  Yeshua’s illustration intends us to realize that this is a back-handed slap.  Why?  Because a slap with the back of the hand was considered a much more grievous insult.  The point of Yeshua’s remark is not just about non-resistance.  It is about refusing to seek reciprocity even in the face of abusive and insulting behavior.  The Greek expression here (dexios siagon) is calculated to bring an instant emotional response, not simply a protective reflex.

This passage is often used to support Christian non-retaliation.  In fact, on the surface it goes much further.  It advocates non-resistance.  This is very difficult to accept since it is quite clear that the offending party is a bad, even deliberately harmful, person.  In a culture where “face” was extremely important, Yeshua’s demand must have seemed impossible.  Does He really mean that we are to offer no resistance to evil?  Are we to allow any injury to ourselves or others without even the slightest attempt to forestall such atrocities?  Stripped of its context, this verse seems to uphold a standard no reasonable man could accept.

What is the context?  The teaching begins in verse 17.  The entire section is typically rabbinic.  Yeshua, the great rabbi, is explaining principles from the Torah.  He is giving commentary on the words delivered to Moses.  But His commentary isn’t designed to provide a history of the insights of past rabbis.  His commentary is intended to take his disciples right back to the original.  In other words, Yeshua is not commenting on specific ethical applications.  He is directing us to think about they way the world – God’s world – is supposed to work, and how we are to exhibit that Kingdom view here and now.  The topic here is injustice in the world.  Injustice is slap in God’s face.  It is an affront to His hesed and His creative sovereignty.  Every act of injustice calls into question the benevolence and the authority of God.  Evil is not found simply in acts of aggression.  It is found in the metaphysical implications behind the aggression.  Yeshua’s commentary addresses these implications.  Unless we see the true nature of the problem, we will not be able to execute a principled solution.  We don’t want a list of prescribed ethical actions.  We don’t need a “if this happens, then do this” ethics.  We want to know how to apply the underlying principle in any situation.  Yeshua engages us in an insight into the principle by imagining a situation that is both harmful and insulting.  So, the principle must meet both attempted injury and damage to pride.

What is the underlying principle here?  The principle is not about taking a stand for good.  The principle is about taking a stand for myself.  Torah clearly calls us to defend what is right and just.  God is the God of justice.  God is good.  Nothing Yeshua says can be understood as an endorsement that allows evil to reign.  What is at stake here is not resistance to evil but rather defending my pride.  Yeshua is not calling His disciples to refuse resistance against evil.  He is calling His disciples to refuse resistance on the basis of protecting my self-image.  What He says is that turning the other cheek is a back-handed compliment to God.  Turning the other cheek defends God’s honor by refusing to take the question of honor in our own hands.

Topical Index:  turn the other cheek, honor, Matthew 5:39

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Rush Hour

Tuesday, February 10th, 2009 | Author:

“They are Your servants and Your people whom You redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand.”  Nehemiah 1:10

Rush Hour

Servants -  Life can be terribly frantic, can’t it?  There are days when it just seems that you will never catch up.  In fact, one of the systems of this world (those things Paul tells us not to be conformed to) is speed.  There are a few powerful spiritual amnesia narcotics in the culture and the rush hour rate of life is one of them (prosperity tends to the another).  Maybe that’s why God requires a Sabbath rest.  He has to force us to see that life is not about how fast we can keep going.  It’s wonderful that the first thing Adam did after his creation was rest, not work. 

We need to have this perspective when we come to the word eved in Scripture.  It’s the word that means “servant” or “slave.”  Of course, slavery in the Old Testament is not the same as the kind of human degradation that occurred in the rest of the world’s history and is still occurring in the world today.  In this verse, avadeikha (Your servants) is really a humble self-designation before the Lord.  We are His servants.  We bow before the King of the universe.  We belong to Him, not simply as His loved, adopted children, but also as His slaves.  It is only our cultural heritage that makes this term seem onerous.  We must overcome that cultural revulsion, for being a slave of the great I AM is the most wonderful role we could ever have.

What does it mean to be eved before the Lord?  Well, for one thing, it means that the Lord’s reputation is at stake in me.  When I place myself under His ownership, He takes responsibility for me.  When I confess that I am His servant, I imply that He acts as my protector and provider.  His honor is involved in my well-being.  Therefore, I am justified in calling on Him to uphold me.  He cares about His slaves because He is benevolent (but never forget that He is also the King).

So, what implications can we draw from this?  First, we should notice that those who are not His slaves cannot expect His protection and provision.  They don’t belong to Him.  This is what Yeshua meant with the phrase, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not do what I say?”  Anyone in that group isn’t His.  What right do they have to ask for His help?  None!  His honor is not at stake in their lives.

But for those who do belong, life is very different.  That doesn’t mean that life always works the way we want it to.  It means that the circumstances of our lives are under His command – for His purposes.  There are no accidents in the lives of His servants. Furthermore, we don’t have to worry about how crazy life might be.  We are not in a hurry.  We are in obedience.  Rush hour isn’t part of our day.  We are called only to obey His directives, not to make it all happen.  The secret to a life of shalom is listening before acting.  The master doesn’t expect the slave to know the game plan.  He only expects the slave to carry out his orders.  So, relax.  Life comes according to His terms.  Do what He says.  That’s enough.  All the rest is a reflection of His honor – and He won’t be insulted!

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Open Door Invitation

Monday, February 02nd, 2009 | Author:

You husbands, likewise, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman; and grant her honor as a fellow-heir of the grace of life; 1 Peter 3:7

Open Door Invitation

Grant Her Honor – The word for “grant” is aponemontes.  It means “to assign, to bestow or to give”.  All of these terms are expressions of recognition of position.  You cannot grant honor to someone whom you do not hold in the highest regard.  In addition, the biblical idea of granting honor has an interesting twist (doesn’t it always?).   What does it mean, biblically, to grant honor?  Well, we should notice that granting always begins with God.  I cannot grant to you what God has not first given to me, because God is the owner of all and the final authority.  So, giving of honor to my wife begins with God’s perspective on the matter, namely that she is the ‘ezer.

Secondly, granting honor is an expression of recognized exaltation.  We aren’t left in the dark with this one. The word for “honor” is timen.  Peter uses this word when he describes the final revelation of our faith at the return of Christ.  Obviously, this is a word of some importance.  We do not grant honor or assign honor to those whom we consider inferior.  Clearly, Peter has no notion of superior and inferior ranking.  The two words together indicate recognition of proper position – a position that is worthy of honor.  The husband is to deliberately give honor to his wife.  The full range of meanings for timen includes respect, value, dignity and worth.  In the context of Peter’s letter, the Old Testament image of honoring God must have been on the minds of his readers.  Furthermore, such a word would recall the commandment “Honor your father and mother”, an ethical stipulation that carried tremendous weight in ancient cultures.  We are immediately driven to the Hebrew word kaved, the root word in the fifth commandment.

The word picture of kaved is the open hand offered into the door or pathway.  You can imagine someone extending a welcoming hand to you while ushering you into their home.  Honor is an invitation to come in.  When we honor God, we extend an invitation for Him to come into our lives.  When we honor our wives, we invite them in.

Let that sink in a bit.  You don’t honor your wife by putting her on the pedestal, buying her diamond rings or sending her flowers unless those acts are accompanied with an invitation for her to enter into your life.  To honor her is to recognize her place in your world – a place where you let her into every aspect of who you are.  In fact, you dishonor her when you endorse or maintain any agenda, status or hierarchy that does not promote the two of you becoming a single entity – one flesh – before your Maker.  Peter knew exactly what he was talking about.  And it wasn’t about separating husband and wife in some artificial relationship of superior and inferior.  Honor erases all that!  Honor is an open door policy.

Do you, husbands, honor your wives?  Have you really let them in?

Topical Index:  Honor, kaved, grant, timen, aponemontes, wife, marriage, ‘ezer

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Chain Mail

Sunday, January 27th, 2008 | Author:

Honor your father and your mother Deuteronomy 5:16

Honor – God never does anything without a purpose.  When it comes to the world of human beings, all of God’s actions have redemptive purposes.  So, honoring your parents is not just about respect.  It’s not just the “Yes, sir,” “No, ma’m” attitude.  There are critical redemptive issues at stake here.  Once you see what they are, things might change in your family.

The Hebrew word for “honor” is kabed.  It is literally a word about weight.  It means, “to be heavy.”  Honor is to give weight to someone.  That is a metaphor for important, respect, consideration and value.  In the Hebrew mind, this metaphor is connected to power and respect.  It’s like holding gold in your hand.  You can feel the difference between 10-carat and 24-carat.  Heavier is better.

God tells children to treat their parents like 24-carat gold.  Why?  Well, the answer to that question is not found in a manual of military discipline.  It is found in the covenant.  It is the parents’ responsibility to transmit the covenant in word and deed to their children.  This is an enormous burden and must be handled carefully and diligently.  As a result of this education, children are made aware of the great and glorious God of Israel.  The purpose and plan of the covenant passes to them.  Therefore, children are to show great respect for the effort of parents to teach them God’s ways.  Without their parents, instruction in the ways of God would be lost – and they would flounder in life.  With their parents, children are prepared to enter into a covenant relationship – and discover life with God on their own.  It is God’s chain mail, connecting one generation to the next.

How much honor would you give to someone who rescued your life from wandering despair and hopeless destruction?  How much respect is due those who, at great effort and cost to themselves, taught you the essentials of walking in harmony with the God of creation?  If you didn’t hold such people in high regard, it would simply demonstrate your own self-disgust.  When parents do what God commanded them to do, children benefit without measure.  That is worth honoring.  That has eternal weight.

How many times have your parents prayed over you?  How many silent pleas have they made to keep you safe, to give you guidance, to lift you up?  How many verses have they read, claiming them in your name?  How many times have they gone without so that you could thrive?  This is God’s way.  We each have our turn at the wheel, steering a course that He sets.  His plan is always connection – a community of relationships building and nurturing another community of relationships.  No matter what your background, you are now a part of God’s personal chain mail.  God has designed the chain so that if you learn honoring, you will know what teaching is all about when your turn comes.

Topical Index:  Commandments, Honor

A little commentary:  In the last few days we have looked at some of the Hebrew views on spiritual activities.  Of course, from the Hebrew perspective, there is really no distinction between sacred and secular.  God is at work in my life no matter what activity I am doing.  Our distinction between sacred and secular comes from a Greek perspective, an attempt to insulate one from the other so that Sunday has almost nothing to do with Monday.  It’s important to realize that the Hebrew word for work is also a word for worship.

Several readers have asked about the idea of the sabbath.  What does it mean for those of us who have always believed that Sunday was church day?  A lot of things change when I realize that work and worship are cut from the same cloth.  On the sabbath, God asks me to set aside all of my usual routines, everything that is related to sustaining my life in the world of sorrow.  He asks me to make this day a day of deliberate conversation with Him.  After all, He made this day for me.  It is the day when, with God’s help, I may become human.  I may set aside all those elements of the fallen world that try to press me into its mold and learn that my dependence is refreshing, my acknowledgment glorious, my vulnerability illuminating and my weakness reviving.  In other words, this is a day when drawing close to God means that I experience myself as God sees me.

So, whatever I do on the sabbath, it must be grounded in the conversation with Him that makes me whole.  It must be glorifying to Him because that is what lifts me up.  It must be dedicated to Him because that is what anchors my trust.  Sabbath keeping is wide enough to take in the whole of His creation but narrowly focused on Who He is and who I am in dialogue with Him.  Sabbath keeping is joyfully experiencing the grace of God in me – and in the community that surrounds me.  I am pretty sure that it is not possible to keep the sabbath alone.  That is certainly not what God had in mind.  I am also pretty sure that it is not possible to keep the sabbath passively.  I cannot be an observer of an event.  Sabbath keeping depends entirely on relationship interaction, so I have to do something.  It’s just that what I do cannot push me back toward a world where God’s original design is not at the forefront.  Sabbath-keeping is ultimately walking together in the cool of the evening conversing with the Creator.

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