The Scales of Justice
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am gentle and lowly of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:29 ESV
Yoke – Yesterday we connected Paul’s idea of “bond” with Yeshua’s statement about “yoke.” “Freedom comes in chains,” we said. When Yeshua invites us to take His yoke, He is not offering liberty. He is offering glorious constraint; constraint that instructs us in a way of life delivered from toxic anxiety and confusion. But the Greek word zygos has another meaning that heightens His invitation. Zygos also means “scales.” It is found in Revelation 6:5 and in Leviticus 26:26 (LXX). The horseman of judgment comes with scales in his hand. He will weigh the deeds of men. But by what standard? Both the rabbis and Yeshua tell us that the standard for these scales is the “yoke” of the law (Torah), an excellent wordplay in Greek!
Do you suppose that the translator of Yeshua’s words in Matthew’s Greek had this wordplay in mind? When you hear, “Take my yoke upon you,” do you also hear, “Take my scales upon you”? Do you connect “yoke” and “law”? It would be hard to read the Greek translation of Yeshua’s Hebrew without making this connection.
Far too often we read this verse without its connection to Jeremiah or its nuances in Greek. We read the verse with the eyes of Plato and Aristotle. We think Yeshua is offering assistance (forgiveness and restoration) without obligation, at least without obligation to others. We want rest, not duty. So we convert zygos into something akin to “removing all my burdens.” We look for Platonic peace, that is, freedom from everyone else. But zygos as “scales” can never provide such fictitious folly. All of Torah is about obligation – to God and to others. The “Law” is a way of living in the world, among those who occupy the same place and time. When we take on Yeshua’s zygos, we take on the standard which the third horseman brings. There is no rest without scales just as there is no peace without chains.
Perhaps this is enough for today. Perhaps we have already been convicted of our ungodly desire to be “free” of all those burdens of others. Perhaps the horseman finds us wanting.
Topical Index: Matthew 11:29, yoke, zygos, freedom, law, Torah
TRAVEL NOTES: In about a week, I will be traveling to Europe where I will lecture on a cruise ship through the Greek islands. Don’t worry, Today’s Word will continue as usual and all your book orders will be taken care of without delay. I will just be out of email contact for some time.
Shalom dr. Moen
Quite interesting your comments on “scales” because one of the Zodiac’s Constellations, also are represented by the “scales” If you are willing to take this aspect in consideration next time there are very good books written about this theme by some rabbis.
Toda raba
I once read a small monograph about the signs of the Zodiac in ancient times as a story of God’s redemption written in the heavens.
I did a whole study on that once, Skip – and a series of lectures on it. Unfortunately, the “Gospel in the Stars” has become corrupted by many over the years, including, sadly, some well-known Christian authors.
I’d be interested in your study John. We live out where the moon and stars are clearly seen and spend lots of time sitting out watching them.
Pam, happy to help if I can. “In the beginning” (while recovering from open heart surgery in 1996) I went back all the way to the manuscript of a book called “Mazzaroth” by Frances L. Rolleston. (1862)
http://philologos.org/__eb-mazzaroth/208.htm
At the time (nearly 16 years ago) I had need of someone like Skip, because Ms. Rolleston – a delightful English lady – was, it was claimed, a scholar of Greek and Hebrew, and while she may have been, in my subsequent investigations (including talking with Rabbis and other readers of Hebrew, and consulting astronomical sources around her time of writing) I came across enough inconsistencies between her writings and that of others (later, such as books by Bullinger and others on the general topic of “The Gospel in the Stars”) to be very skeptical of all her claims. (Sorry about that awfully long sentence.) Some of those inconsistencies have been perpetuated in the writings of more recent authors on the subject. It was rather embarrassing, because I had studiously prepared and given a 10-week adult Sunday-School lecture course at my church – based on some of the books I had read on the topic.
However, as we are told in Scripture: test everything, and hold on to the good. (1 Thess. 5:21)
The ‘good’ in this case, as far as I can tell, is that yes, among the 86 (Greek-named) constellations (including, of course the twelve zodiacal ones (actually 13, with Ophiucus)), there are heros and warriors (e.g. Orion), a dragon, a serpent, scales, a sea monster, a scorpion, etc. it may well be that the stellar groupings were similarly named by Abraham when God called him outside to count the stars…of course, the original names (if they existed) would not have been Greek. But if they were named – perhaps even earlier, (by Enoch, for example?), it is a fair bet that Satan would want to erase and/or corrupt any evidence of the future Gospel in those names by having later cultures reinterpret them.
If you read only one thing, read The Star that Astonished the World by Ernest L. Martin
http://www.askelm.com/star/index.asp I have written a paper on this (unpublished) that I will be happy to share with you. The well-known “Star of Bethlehem” video is based on Martin’s researches (though the producer of the video gives the impression that he did all the research!)
Anyway, I am rambling, so I’ll stop.
For those interested in the “signs in the skies”-particulary on how they relate to “the end times”, there is an interesting site called inthatday.net which I found to be intriguing, if not a little intimidating for one who isn’t a star gazer or prophetic scholar. I haven’t yet formed an opinion, but hope you who will check it out are mature enough to test it throughly. There are 5 videos in his study. Happy gazing. I just may stick to grazing. Shalom, Michael
We know someone who studies the paleo Hebrew. He speculates that Abraham was the one who charted out the constellations as a means to tell the story of the promise Elohim made to him beginning with the commandment to go out and count the stars. I have never heard that. Do you know of any other folks that believe that?
Pam – I had not read this remark of yours before posting my reply above. So, yes, I guess I have heard that! 🙂
Hi Yishmael,
It’s been a while, good to hear from you. As I recall mentioning before, your name makes me think of my favorite American Romance
“Moby-Dick” begins with the line “Call me Ishmael.” This is one of the most recognizable opening lines in Western literature
I didn’t realize it has a Hebrew meaning when it begins with a Y
Yishma’el ( ), meaning “God hears” or “God will hear.” The Bible says: “You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery.
Of course, Ishmael is the outcast son of Abraham and Hagar according to the account in Genesis
This morning, my eyes are getting so bad at transposing letters, that I thought you were Michael
Which brings me to a rather funny experience with a family counselor a while back
After briefly describing myself as to how I fit into the family, she replied that she thought I
“Probably like being a sort of outcast”
Which I thought was a very strange thing to say
Hi Skip,
“traveling to Europe where I will lecture on a cruise ship through the Greek islands.”
Wow that sounds like fun!
Makes me think of a Hero who was the opposite of Ishmael (Odysseus)
And one of my favorite songs about this great Greek Hero
Tales Of Brave Ulysses
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZleKo-nXHI&feature=related
GOOD MORNING ALL…
I HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT THE SCALES MEAN BALANCE TOO – I THINK OF THE LADY HOLDING THE SCALES IN THE LAW/LEGAL SYSTEM… SCALES IF JUSTICE…
I am relatively new to your site and find your insights refreshing and stimulating. Growing up as a Jewish girl in NY, I was taught, by precept and by example, that to do good for others was a “mitzvah,” a good deed that fulfilled the commandment of God. I learned the words of the Rabbi Hillel: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? And, if not now, when?” I suspect that some of these deeds were done, not only out of love for God but also to earn His approval and that of others.
When I became a Christian, I discovered that the bond I experienced with Jews and New Yorkers I met, as an instant connection based on a shared culture, was now a bond I had with other Christians based on the shared living Spirit within each of us; these are bonds of community. However, I have also discovered that
the fulfilling of the commandment to love others, acted out, is often viewed as a function of my personality, not as what every Christian is obligated to do, out of love for Christ and obedience to His
command. This is the mystery to me – that this mindset is not a given for Christians – and also a
stumbling block, for if I still do these things to earn approval from God and other people, then I am not following the spirit of the command, either, but just drawing attention to myself.
Your Jewish background serves you well. It is the Christian legacy that is mistaken. When Christianity in the early centuries advocated an anti-Semite theology, it left behind the obligation of hesed while it attempted to hold on to the benefit of hen. As a result, Christian thinkers separated grace from deeds and today end up with a mushy ethics based on some higher value called “love” but without any true appreciation or understanding of love in action in specific application. The stumbling block today is not Yeshua. It is Torah. Christianity without Torah is irrelevant, just like Judaism without Torah is obsolete. Stick with us as we learn all over again.
ALL creation is a witness to God!
The Bible teaches God has revealed Himself in the things He has made. Psalm 19, Psalm 104, and Romans 1 all explain the way that God has provided a general revelation of Himself by all the created objects, not just the stars.
Naturally the adversary has corrupted the message in the starry heavens just like he has twisted all of God’s Words and evidences. (His twisted view is astrology, not to be tampered in.)
The constellation of Libra contains 51 stars. 2 of which are the 2nd magnitude, one of the 3rd, 8 of the 4th and so on.
The Hebrew name is Mozanaim, the Scales, weighing. Its Arabic name is Al Zubena, meaning purchase or redemption.
The constellation contain 3 bright stars whose names tell the whole story. The brightest is Zuben al Genubi, that means the PURCHASE, or the price which is deficient, (stay with me here, this is not a typo). This points to the fact that man has been ruined, “weighed in the scales and found wanting”.
This is recorded by this bright star named Zuben al Genubi.
So is there no hope? Is there no one who can pay the price?
Yes, the seed of woman. Coming as a child, the atoning sacrifice. Hence in the upper scale there is a bright star whose name is Zuben al Chemali — THE PRICE WHICH COVERS. Details continue in the ancient names of the stars in this constellation.
There are some who believe Libra, the scales, is an Egyptian corruption. and the original design is an altar. The Akkadian name for Libra is Tulku. Taken in two pieces the name divides as The Mound that is sacred, or a holy altar.
Then to read the story in the heavens you must go on to study the Crux, the Southern Cross. Laid out in the constellation whose name means “cutting off”, in Hebrew Adom. The southern cross was just visible in the latitude of Jerusalem at the time of the first coming of our LORD. It receded and was not visible at the time of the Real Sacrifice in Jerusalem. Voyagers in the 16th century, doubling the Cape for the first time reported news of sighting of a constellation more glorious than any other in the heavens. It is a small constellation containing but 4 stars, And they indeed form a cross. (which like everything else, has been perverted, sigh, but I refuse to give up on truth)
There is a computer program you can use to set your cordinates to any date in history and see the stars as they appeared over the earth. It is Stellarium. see: http://www.stellarium.org/
Among the brightest stars seen from the earth are Vega which means He Shall Be Exalted, Procyon which means The Redeemer, and Pollux which means He Who Comes to Suffer.
I like David Rives on the starry heavens: http://davidrivesministries.org/about-us/
You can research some of his videos on youtube: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=david+rives+the+heaven+declare+the+glory+of+God+search youtube for his videos under videos&view=detail&mid=53308DC83D7E62F1C6DB53308DC83D7E62F1C6DB&first=0&qpvt=david+rives+the+heaven+declare+the+glory+of+God+videos
I read a book many years ago titled: Witness of the Stars by E. W. Bullinger. Everyone will need to check for themselves his credentials to know if you care to open his book or not, and reach your own verdict. You have the Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth and align everything with the Holy Writ.
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”
ALL creation is a witness to God!
God has revealed Himself in the things He has made. Psalm 19, Psalm 104, and Romans 1 all explain the way that God has provided a general revelation of Himself by all the created objects, not just the stars.
Naturally the adversary has corrupted the message in the starry heavens just like he has twisted all of God’s Words and evidences. (His twisted view is astrology, not to be tampered in.)
The constellation of Libra contains 51 stars. 2 of which are the 2nd magnitude, one of the 3rd, 8 of the 4th and so on.
The Hebrew name is Mozanaim, the Scales, weighing. Its Arabic name is Al Zubena, meaning purchase or redemption.
The constellation contain 3 bright stars whose names tell the whole story. The brightest is Zuben al Genubi, that means the purchase, or the price which is deficient, (stay with me here, this is not a typo). This points to the fact that man has been ruined, “weighed in the scales and found wanting”.
This is recorded by this bright star named Zuben al Genubi.
So is there no hope? Is there no one who can pay the price?
Yes, the seed of woman. Coming as a child, the atoning sacrifice. Hence in the upper scale there is a bright star whose name is Zuben al Chemali — THE PRICE WHICH COVERS. Details continue in the ancient names of the stars in this constellation.
There are some who believe Libra, the scales, is an Egyptian corruption. and the original design is an altar. The Akkadian name for Libra is Tulku. Taken in two pieces the name divides as The Mound that is sacred, or a holy altar.
Then to read the story in the heavens you must go on to each one. Study the Crux, the Southern Cross. Laid out in the constellation whose name means “cutting off”, in Hebrew Adom. The southern cross was just visible in the latitude of Jerusalem at the time of the first coming of our LORD. It receded and was not visible at the time of the Real Sacrifice in Jerusalem. Voyagers in the 16th century, doubling the Cape for the first time reported news of sighting of a constellation more glorious than any other in the heavens. It is a small constellation containing but 4 stars, And they indeed form a cross. (which like everything else, has been perverted, sigh, but I refuse to give up on truth)
There is a computer program you can use to set your cordinates to any date in history and see the stars as they appeared over the earth. It is Stellarium. see: http://www.stellarium.org/
Among the brightest stars seen from the earth are Vega which means He Shall Be Exalted, Procyon which means The Redeemer, and Pollux which means He Who Comes to Suffer.
I like David Rives Ministries on the starry heavens: http://davidrivesministries.org/about-us/
Here’s just one of his videos: http://youtu.be/S9JU8DGXDYA
There is a book I read many years ago titled: Witness of the Stars by E. W. Bullinger. Everyone will need to check for themselves his credentials to know if you care to open his book or not, and reach your own verdict. You have the Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth and align everything with the Holy Writ.
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”
Dorothy – see my comments above. You are quoting Bullinger who quoted Rolleston – alas, I do not think her concusions (and therefore his) are entirely trustworthy in their details, though the ‘big picture’ may have some merit. Be careful!
John
Thank you for quickly pointing that out to me and also guiding anyone who might have desired to look into Bullinger! I certainly will never again recommend his book!
(sorry about a double post, a lengthy one at that, a wrong one on top of it all!)
I’m begining to wonder if anyone past Adam is original.
David Rives is good tho. I’m also looking into the site inthatday.net that Michael spoke about.
Dorothy – I’d hate for you to throw out the baby with the bathwater. Bullinger’s book is worth looking at; just don’t believe everything you read. I guess that applies to anything, including my emails!
Lol
This proverb popped into my head when I read today’s post:
“Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, But happy is he who keeps the law.” Proverbs 29:18
~ The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple ~
תּוֹרָה : direction-instruction-law- (torah)
If we are to center on lives on “torah” than we really do need to settle this matter in order to be “settled..’
What, dear friends, is the torah of YHWH? -The Law of the LORD. It is His torah from His Book. We receive our instructions, our direction from His words and ~ all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness; they (God’s words) equip God’s servants, God’s people, God’s children so that they are completely prepared to do good things.
Our Messiah has said, “If you abide in Me and My words abide in you..” (John 15.7) Now where, I ask all, are we to find “His words?” Are His words to be found written in His Book? Yes. “It is written.” (next to “I love you”- probably my favorite three words of all time!) God has given unto us- His holy Word, “both” written and Living.
~ For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart ~
(Hebrews 4.12)
Friends, “all scripture” is God-breathed. All scripture is torah. Every jot, every tittle- it’s all “tob!” (good and pleasant).
~ and beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the scriptures concerning Himself ~ (Luke 24.27)
Who is speaking here? (and Who was it who rose from the tomb?) Is it Moses? Is it Elisha? Is is David? or Peter? or Paul? No. It is the Messiah, our LORD and Savior, Healer of the Nations, Redeemer of Mankind, our Heavenly Boaz, the Victorious Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
The scriptures (all of them- “torah” included!) reveal Christ, (the Anointed), the very ONE who gave the “ten words” to Moses upon the mountain!
Now, think again with me.. Who did we crucify upon the execution stake? Was He “just” a man? Or was He a “Just” man- the only sinless Man who ever lived (and btw is living still today!).
Rabbi Sha’ul I love your words which ring true in my heart thousands of years after you wrote them.. (for these too were God-breathed) ~ Neither did I judge myself as knowing anything among you, except Yeshua The Messiah, even Him as He was crucified ~ (1 Corinthians 2.2)
Don’t stare at the stars, stay upon the Savior. It is “Jesus (Who) Saves”
~ the people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a Light has dawned ~ (Isaiah 9:2)
♥ it is the LORD ♥
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFgAnhHhesk