Tag-Archive for » shamar «

Priestly Duty

Wednesday, February 03rd, 2010 | Author: Skip Moen

“For the lips of the priest should guard knowledge; and they should seek the law from his mouth; for he is the messenger of YHWH of hosts.” Malachi 2:7

Guard – The Hebrew verb shamar means “to watch over, to guard, to keep, to preserve and to care for.”  It’s the same verb that described Adam and Havvah’s assignment in the Garden.  We expect a priest to do these things when it comes to God’s Word.  But take one more look at this verse.  Do you find something unusual?  When we think about God’s Word, we associate shamar with a heart activity.  We think of guarding God’s Word as an inner operation like memorizing, honoring and studying.  But what does God say through Malachi?  “The lips of the priest” are associated with shamar.  This can only mean one thing – speaking.  From God’s perspective, guarding knowledge is about what I say.  As a priest, if I am not speaking God’s truth, my inner spiritual life doesn’t seem to matter much.

This apparent disconnect is resolved when we realize that the role of the priest is to act as intercessor between God and the people.  He is called upon to speak to God on behalf of the congregation.  His job is to plead our case, direct our worship and faithfully communicate God’s instructions.  He is the public servant of the Lord.  What he says matters a great deal.  So, God instructs His priests to guard knowledge.  “Be very careful about your words for with your words you direct My people.  Know what you are saying.”

Malachi’s revelation creates two big issues for the Church today.  The first is obvious.  The priest (or whatever title we wish to assign) must know God’s instructions and speak them truthfully.  Unfortunately, eighteen centuries of Christian syncretism leave most of our leaders in a position where God’s instructions are no longer guarded.  The lips of most priests speak half the truth, unintentionally to be sure, but nevertheless, a tragic mistake.  We are led astray by misunderstood messages.

The second issue is the congregation’s expectation of the role of our priests.  We think they are leaders of the Body.  We think they are managers of the membership.  We think they should direct the decisions.  In other words, we put them in charge of everything.  That is not God’s assignment.  Priests are first and foremost intercessors on our behalf.  They are not pulpit pundits, committee counselors or budget barons.  They are called to be like those apostles of the first century who gave up running the “church” in order to devote themselves to prayer and the study of God’s Word.

We have left our priests and pastors in an impossible position.  We have forgotten what God called them to do – know Him, intercede for us and speak His truth.  What would happen if we followed the model of the apostles?  Well, for one thing, the congregation would have to take on all the other roles of the church.  We would have to act on God’s instructions instead of sitting in the pews.

Topical Index:  priest, guard, shamar, Malachi 2:7

Yesterday I posted an article on Jerusalem written by one of the members who went with us in October.  You might find it very interesting.  You can see it here.

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Responsabilidad Filial

Monday, October 12th, 2009 | Author: Bessy Bendaña

¿Soy yo acaso guardián de mi hermano? Génesis 4:9

Guardián – “El problema es de él.” “¡no puedo ser responsable por todo!” “Necesita madurar.” ¿Alguna vez te has escuchado decir algo así? En un sistema de mundo que enfatiza al individuo, frecuentemente diferimos el involucramiento, sintiendo como si lo mejor que podemos hacer es hacer responsable a la otra persona. Claro que desde la perspectiva bíblica la responsabilidad personal nunca disminuye. Eso radica en el corazón del pecador. Pero existe otro elemento de la perspectiva bíblica que ni podemos ignorar ni deferir. ¡Soy el guardián de mi hermano! De hecho, soy mucho más que su guardián, como lo demuestra el verbo hebreo.

La palabra es shamar. Se utiliza en la asignación inicial dada por Dios. Adán y Havvah debían guardar y cuidar el Jardín. Su desobediencia no elimino este requerimiento. Dios esperaba que el hombre gestionara la tierra. Ciertamente Qayin (Caín) supo de esta asignación divina. Pero él hace una distinción fatal y crucial. Mientras cuida la tierra como labrador de ella, su objetivo es adquirir beneficio para sí mismo por ese cuidado. Hevel es una obstrucción en el camino de la adquisición de Qayin, en este caso una adquisición de bendición. Así que en el pensamiento de Qayin, Hevel no le es útil. Ya no tiene obligación de guardián, puesto que no existe ganancia alguna para él.

Evidentemente, shamar no permite tales distinciones. Shamar es sobre la atención, preservación, guarda y custodia cuidadosa. Todos los matices de shamar implican obligación, no beneficio. Existe algo que hacemos porque Dios nos lo pide, no porque recibiremos recompensa personal. Sea cuidar la propiedad de otro, el bosque de las Amazonas, la finanzas puestas en nuestro cuidado o los hijos del vecino, nuestra motivación se basa fundamentalmente en la apreciación de Dios del universo. Le pertenece a Él y, por lo tanto, se me requiere que lo trate como El lo haría. Dicho sea de paso, shamar también se utiliza en conjunción con la Palabra de Dios. Requiere el mismo compromiso al cuidado y preservación.

Shamar es un verbo de obligación. También es un verbo de conexión. La obligación a Dios nos conecta a todos – el uno al otro, a la creación, al Creador. Shamar me ubica en el océano de la comunidad, no simplemente con los otros seres humanos sino con la creación misma. No es de sorprenderse que Sha’ul diga que toda la creación gime esperando el dia en que la protección y guardia sea la norma. Qayin es el primero barón ladrón. En su apreciación, la vida es sobre obtener lo que deseamos sin importar el costo. Su castigo no es la muerte. Es el enajenamiento de toda la comunidad, incluyendo la comunidad de la tierra. Aquel quién utilizó cualquier medio para adquirir pierde todo lo que tiene. Medida por medida.

Cuán peligroso es el camino de Qayin, no como asesino sino como adquiridor sin shamar. Un hombre quién desconoce su obligación a otros es un hombre que hará cualquier cosa para obtener lo que desea. Tal hombre deambula entre las bestias salvajes.

Qayin, guardián, shamar, obligación, Génesis 4:9

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Filial Responsibility

Monday, October 12th, 2009 | Author: Skip Moen

“Am I my brother’s keeper?” Genesis 4:9

Keeper – “It’s his problem.” “I can’t be responsible for everything!” “He’s just got to grow up.” Have you ever heard yourself saying something like this? In a world system that emphasizes the individual, we often defer involvement, feeling as though the best we can do is make the other person accountable. Of course, the biblical point of view never diminishes personal accountability. That’s at the heart of being a sinner. But there is another element in the biblical worldview that cannot be ignored or deferred. I am my brother’s keeper! Actually, I am a good deal more than just a keeper, as the Hebrew verb demonstrates.

The word is shamar. It is used in the opening assignment given by God. Adam and Havvah were to guard and care for the Garden. That’s shamar. Their disobedience did not erase this requirement. God expected Man to steward the earth. Certainly Qayin (Cain) is aware of this divine assignment. But he makes a crucial and fatal distinction. While he cares for the earth as a tiller of the ground, his objective is to acquire benefit for himself from that care. Hevel stands in the way of Qayin’s acquisition, in this case an acquisition of blessing. So, in Qayin’s thinking, Hevel is of no use to him. He no longer has caretaking responsibility because there is nothing for him to gain.

Of course, shamar won’t allow such distinctions. Shamar is about careful attention, preservation, watchfulness and guardianship. All of the nuances of shamar imply duty, not benefit. This is something we do because God asks us to do it, not because we will receive personal reward. Whether we watch over someone’s property, the Amazon rainforest, the finances entrusted to our care or the neighbor’s children, our motivation is ultimately based on God’s view of the universe. It all belongs to Him and, therefore, I am required to treat it as He would. By the way, shamar is also used in conjunction with God’s Word. It requires the same commitment to care and preservation.

Shamar is a verb of duty. It is also a verb of connection. Duty to God connects us all – to each other, to the creation, to the Creator. Shamar places me in the ocean of community, not simply with other human beings but with creation itself. No wonder Sha’ul says all creation groans waiting for the day that caretaking becomes the norm. Qayin is the first robber baron. In his view, life is about getting what he wants no matter what the cost. His punishment is not death. It is alienation from all community, including the community of the land. The one who would use any means to acquire loses everything he has. Measure for measure.

How dangerous it is to follow the path of Qayin, not as a murderer but as an acquirer without shamar. A man who knows nothing of duty to others is a man who will do anything to get what he desires. Such a man wanders among the wild beasts.

Topical Index: Qayin, keeper, shamar, duty, Genesis 4:9

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Chains

Friday, April 17th, 2009 | Author: Skip Moen

Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You.  Psalm 16:1 (English text

Preserve – The Hebrew verb shamar is used more than 300 times in the Scriptures.  It covers the ground from Genesis to Malachi.  It means “to keep, to obey, to observe, to preserve, to guard, to be careful, to watch” in both spiritual and physical settings.  Shamar is part of God’s intended plan for Man.  Adam and Havvah were instructed to watch over the Garden.  Priests are instructed to guard everything set apart as holy.  Israel is to protect, preserve and obey Torah.  Yeshua asks three disciples to watch over Him.  In most applications, shamar is something we do.  But David’s lament changes the subject-object relationship.  David asks God to be the agent of shamar.  Why does David make this request of God?  Because David takes refuge in the one true God.

Everyone needs a protector.  Everyone needs a faithful companion who will guard life.  In fact, God seems to have designed human existence with this requirement built into us.  Most of the time, parents provide protection and preserve our lives until we are ready to enter into a voluntary covenant with another person.  Then Genesis 2:24 replaces our childhood need.  The transition from childhood to spousal commitment is a model of the kind of transition that occurs when we enter into a voluntary covenant with God.  God assumes the role of the ‘ezer.  It’s worth noting that the Hebrew point of view does not support the Greek ideal of individual self-sufficiency.  We are always in a chain of relationships.  We guard someone while someone else guards us.  Even if there is no spousal covenant, we are not exempt.  God stands at the top of the shamar pyramid.  Everyone beneath Him has both need and responsibility.  Even David, the king, needs a Protector.

The modern Christian innovation of “accountability” groups only exists because we suffer from a dysfunctional model of community.  We need accountability partners because we no longer live within the built-in community relationships that God designed.  We pursue individual self-sufficiency, discover that it doesn’t give us any “air cover”, and end up creating a substitute for something God put in place at the beginning.  There is no humanity where there is no mutual relationship chain.  If shamar is so important that God Himself is willing to take on this role, how much more necessary is it for finite and fallible creatures like us?  If you aren’t providing shamar for someone and someone is not providing shamar for you, then something is amiss.

Finally, we must notice that David’s cry is not for spiritual air cover.  Yes, that is part of what God does.  But David recognizes that the kind of shamar he needs is not only found in the realm of the spirit.  It is practical, tangible, demonstrable preservation right here on planet Earth.  David needs to be rescued from his enemies.  He needs a helping hand, not merely a gate pass to heaven.  That’s also part of the Hebrew perspective.  There is really no distinction between the spiritual and the physical.  One affects the other – in both directions.  Both are woven into our existence.  James points out that faith without works is dead.  So is works without faith.  The goal is to do what lasts and to make lasting what we do.  Everything has an eternal consequence.

Do you provide air cover for someone?  Does someone keep the faith for you?  These names should come instantly to mind.  If you hesitate in your answer, maybe you’re more Greek than you think.  The chain gang is the right model.  Who are you chained to?

Topical Index:  chain, shamar, community, Psalm 16:1

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Guarding The Gates

Friday, March 27th, 2009 | Author: Skip Moen

“Watch and pray that you do not enter into temptation”  Matthew 26:41

Watch – Jesus knows that we are weak, but willing.  We want to serve and be of service, but we struggle mightily with disciplining the body.  We are often our own worst enemies, relinquishing ground to those appetites that we so enthusiastically fed when we were without godly direction and purpose.  The disciples, who are no different than us mere mortals, are just as vulnerable to their own weaknesses.  So, Jesus tells them to watch and pray.  Now, what do you imagine He meant by such an odd statement?  Watch what?  They are sitting in the middle of an olive tree grove in the dead of the night.  How are they supposed to watch anything?  They can’t see.  It’s black.  There are no handy light switches or flashlights.  What is Jesus talking about?

We’ll have a much better appreciation for this word if we recognize that Jesus is using the Hebrew verb shamar.  With that in mind, we discover some rather amazing context.  Adam and Havvah were to watch over the garden. Laban was instructed to watch over Jacob.  The priests were to watch over the implements of the Tabernacle. Moses tells Israel to watch and obey the Torah.  Eli watched Hannah’s lips while she prayed. God watches over the hearts of men.  But perhaps Jesus had one particular passage in mind – 1 Samuel 26:15-16.  The phrase is nearly identical and the circumstances are contextually the same.

David confronts Abner with the accusation, “Why have you not watched over your lord the king?”  Abner has failed in his duty to protect the king in a time of threat.  What we should notice are David’s next words.  “This thing that you have done is not good.  As YHWH lives, you also are the sons of death because you have not watched over your lord, over the anointed of YHWH.”  An assignment to watch over the anointed of YHWH is a weighty one.  Those who are asked to carry out a task like this carry a special responsibility.  Failure to perform their duty leaves God’s anointed at great risk.  In the moment of crisis, the watchmen must be vigilant.

Certainly Jesus saw Himself as the Lord’s anointed, the future King of all the earth.  His request to the chosen three is not spur of the moment.  The words themselves point back to another king and a history of crucial mistakes.  Perhaps Peter, James and John didn’t remember the same circumstances and the same vocabulary from the prophet Samuel.  Perhaps.  But Jesus certainly must have.  He was a remarkable Biblical scholar, demonstrating full command of the Scriptures time and time again.  “Watch and pray” are not randomly chosen words in this most-difficult time.  The Lord’s anointed confronts His greatest threat and He calls His companions to stand with Him.  But they are unable.

We may be called to watch and pray in a dark hour.  The story of David and Abner, and of Peter, James and John should warn us.  Let us not be lax when that moment arrives.

Topical Index:  watch, shamar, David, Abner, Matthew 26:41, anointed, King

PS – We’re going to try again. Israel in October. Click here to read more and sign up on the list if you’re seriously interested.

Category: Today's Word  | Tags: , , , , , ,  | 4 Comments