The Grand Assignment
that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. Psalm 67:2 ESV
Saving power – When Israel stood before Sinai God revealed His grand assignment for this chosen nation to make known His way on the earth, to reveal His saving power among all nations. That assignment has never changed. Today, you and I are expected to fulfill our part in that assignment. We are expected to make His way known and to demonstrate His saving power to the nations. Everything about the Hebraic idea of evangelism is wrapped up in this purpose. As we go about our daily lives, we act with the intention of fulfilling His mission. In fact, Yeshua’s objective among the lost sheep of the house of Israel was not to “save” them but rather to prod them to return to the original assignment—to bring the world to YHWH as emissaries of His way.
We have often investigated the purpose of living God’s way. Our investigation reveals that this purpose has little or nothing to do with scientific explanation of the mitzvot of God. His mitzvot are simply ways of exhibiting the difference it makes to serve Him and that difference is the crucial element in making Him known to the nations. Why? Because any man can be noble, good and fair. Any man can be compassionate, merciful and just. If I live by the highest of human standards, I show myself to be a model of human being. But that does not mean my behavior will bring men to YHWH. I have to live differently, not just better, if I am going to act as a magnet for Him. My life has to raise questions among other men. “Why do you do that?” “How come you act like this?” “How can you live that way?” Without real difference, I am nothing more than the best of us all. And God is not interested in my best. He is interested in my difference.
This is why one cannot understand the way of the Lord by cognitive analysis. I do not become a burr in the side of humanity by thinking about God. I do not cause others to question their worldview through argument. If I want to truly impact another person, I must live a different path. “The only gospel most people read is the life you live” is precisely why I must commitment myself to an alternative. Investigation, contemplation and rationalization have their place, but when it comes to fulfilling the mission, St. Francis is right. “Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” Be different or be ignored.
The ESV translates yeshuateka as “saving power,” but that might be a bit too much. The word is yeshua(h), the noun of yasha’. We should read, “Your salvation.” It isn’t the “saving power” that we demonstrate. It is yeshua—salvation. Do you want people to see YHWH’s salvation? Then make His way known on the earth. Ten centuries before Yeshua was born, David announced the Messiah’s mission. Make YHWH’s way known on earth so they will see His salvation. The way of salvation is a different way, a separate way, a purposeful way. What difference does it make in you? What difference do you make to someone else?
Topical Index: saving power, yasha’, yeshua, salvation, difference, Psalm 67:2
Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. -Jeremiah 6:16 Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken. -Jeremiah 6:17Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them. -Jeremiah 6:18Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it. -Jeremiah 6:19To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country? your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me. -Jeremiah 6:20……….. Read thru 21st century eyes, this scripture stirred us to go search out what YHWH was telling us here, what are these ancient paths, and if we were to begin, we had to make a clear decision, as which way we were to go. We decided upon His Way. WOW!!! Come taste and see that The Lord is good. As we also read the following verses, it pains me if this is overlaid on most of the church’s today. But Praise His Glorious name, Yeshua truly is gathering unto himself a bride, one which walks in His Way. “21st century religions” are these not many of the sacrifices and burn offerings, of which many believe will bring unto them a well done good and faithful servant. Yet His ways are not our ways, His ways are from the ancient paths. Is not Torah, truly the way to life! Shalom Simon UK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7b99vEDLjk
I woke up with a person on my mind.
When I was young, my mother raised the baby wild animals for a private zoo. Which meant I had to feed all the wolf puppies, and leopards before I could go to school. We noticed all the best ones seemed to come from one place. The first time my mom spoke to this person, she asked her name because she needed to tell the buyers where the animals were coming from. She replied “people call me Helen d-m McKinney. My very conservative mother thought that was an unusual name, but the next time someone asked her about who their animal was coming from , she innocently repeated, “oh, from Helen d-m McKinney. Well the joke was on her. She timidly asked Helen one time why every other word was a cuss word, and Helen told her that the people she dealt with literally did not understand any other language, so she decided to learn theirs.
A few years later, my husband and I, trying to make a living by supplying wild animal talent to the film industry, got a call from the Ga. DOT, needing 2 vultures for a commercial they were doing for speed limit signs. No one had them. But I knew Helen did: she had her wild animal compound in downtown Augusta, and she fed all her meat scraps to the vultures, who happily roosted over her house in the thousands. All she had to do to catch one was to pick it off her arm, as she hand fed them every day. She agreed on the condition that we had to bring back those birds no matter what, or we would be catching her middle name from her. No matter that they were ‘wild’. Those wild things threw up all over my husband, in self defense, but he did not let them go. No one crossed Helen.
We went to visit her a few years after that. All her animals were circus rejects, mean, old and dangerous, but she had them in tiny chicken wire cages, all together, and atrociously non-coded, though clean and well fed, and happily breeding. I asked her why none of them ever escaped, but she just smiled and said they stayed because they wanted to. Well, they all loved her. She fed us at her ‘restaurant’, which had no name out front, no menu, and no prices; you got what was in the pot, and you didn’t ask what that was. But we were hungry, and penniless, and it was good.
Helen told us she was in the middle of one of her numerous fights with the city: this one was about her ‘restaurant’. She said a certain element was unhappy that she fed the homeless, as they wanted to get them out of downtown, and they were blaming her for their presence, so they told her that she had to comply with code: specifically, a name, a menu, inspections and prices, etc. It was hopeless. When she submitted the name everyone already knew her place by, they told her she couldn’t use it. “Why not?”, she replied, “it’s ma name!”. But somehow, Augusta did not want “Hel’s Kitchen” up on a sign.
Helen took in rejects. Old circus animals, the homeless and unwanted, even the vultures. If it was unloved, it was hers. She had perfected the art of loving the unlovable, and standing up for them, and tending them. The city had squirmed because of her for decades. No one was neutral; either they loved her and stood up for her and let her get away with anything, or they hated her. But they all were a little afraid of her, I think. All Helen had to do was raise one little hard calloused finger, and everyone knew it. I don’t think the fight ceased to the day she died.
I cannot remember her face; I never could. All I could ever think of when I saw her was that I was seeing the face of Yeshua. She was rough, tough, and the air stayed a little blue around her when she spoke, but not a word came out of her mouth but that it was about love. I have tried to find someone who can show me the face of Christ better than her; SURELY there is a better one out there- but no one else has even come close. It still makes me squirm, a little. I am embarrassed. Helen knew what it took to get down in a ditch.
Thank you so much for this, Laurita. I come from a long line of storytellers. Elsingers talk with their hands and from their hearts. We understand that life is all of stories. So is the Bible. And so is the fellowship we have with each other. Like Skip pointed out, the stories of our lives ought to be so different that other people can’t help but stop and “read” a little bit.
Yes, a “Person” makes all the difference!
You and I can make a difference to someone else if
“Someone” has already made a difference in us.
Jesus said about Himself: “I can of Myself do nothing.” Jn 5:30
Jesus was dependent on His Father, and the Spirit within Him
who always guided Him to do the Father’s will.
God brings salvation to us by the same dependent process. We must
of course repent in order to receive His salvation and stay that way in
order to maintain it.
Paul said about this: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”
Gal 2:20
And so we find ourselves and God working together, each doing our
distinct roles. He brings and establishes reconciliation in us, and we,
by His grace and our perserverence, obey His every Word. This
is the working out of our salvation. He in us. We with Him.
And if we “walk in the light as He is in the light” (1 Jn 1:7), people
around us will see a difference!
It’s how The Grand Assignment works.
Forgive me for using the analogy, but it seems to me that when you say “His mitzvot are simply ways of exhibiting the difference it makes to serve Him and that difference is the crucial element in making Him known to the nations.” you are putting the cart before the horse.
I would argue that it is the other way around. It is not the difference that is the crucial element, no, the mitzvot are the crucial element. We don’t keep the mitvot because we want to be different, but we are different because we walk in His mitzvot.
If it is the difference that counts, what are we to do when the prophecy of Jeremiah will be fulfilled [31:31-34] that days will be coming that “no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”?
If everyone would keep the mitzvot, logically speaking, if the difference is the crucial element, we should stop keeping the mitzvot.
We are magnets when the people around us see that the way of living is a way of wisdom:
Deu 4:5 See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 6 Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ 7 For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? 8 And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today?
I am reminded of a few quotes in the book I am re-reading again: “Holy Cow” by Hope Egan. [pg 37]
Quote:
“Just as I was convinced of God’s wisdom for marriage and sexuality when I understood its logic and benefits, I hope that seeing the practical side of the Bible’s dietary standards encourages you to press on the Scriptures. I leave you with a few quotes from the experts:
‘I am urging you … to take another look at these laws, not for the spiritual purposes of salvation … Rather, I am urging you to look at these laws for the purpose of glorifying God through acknowledging His desire and design for health.’ [Russel, Rex]
‘There is no portion of the commandments of God in general, or of the Mosaic code in particular, that is not based on a scientific understanding of fundamental law. The laws of God are enforced and are as sure as the law of gravity.’ [Josephson, Elmer A.]
‘The Israelites of antiquity followed a diet established by God and were consistently healthier than all of their neighbors. Regardless of your religious preference, any honest student of the Scriptures must admit that the wisdom of the Bible extends far beyond the spiritual issues to encompass every area of life – including dietary….guidelines.’ [Rubin, Jordan]
End of Quote.
These people would strongly disagree with your statement “Our investigation reveals that this purpose has little or nothing to do with scientific explanation of the mitzvot of God.”
As Hope Egan wrote: “Does God Flip a Coin?”
I am not saying that we only should keep the commandments if we understand them, but I can’t belief that God would give us arbitrary commandments just so we could be different.
Good points. Thanks.
Laurita is a walking book that hasn’t found the written page yet.
it will.
Quick note: for those who’ve shared in the story of my role as a care-giver of my bed-bound father for the past several years, he died Thursday night sometime before midnight at our Hospice House. Service is tomorrow (Sunday) at 2 pm.
Whew! What an experience. In this case, death was an ugly, ugly thing.
Thanks to all who shared regarding the whole thing. Hope Skip doesn’t mind me sharing that. Much of his TW’s played a sustaining and encouraging role as I went through the whole experience. Thank you, Skip, as well as all of you and the contributing discussions.
I am sorry to hear of your loss, Michael. May you & your family find comfort & peace from our Abba.
Praying for you and your family!
Hi Michael,
Wow…I know it’s been a very long journey for both you AND your father. It was a very difficult situation for the two of you.
I’m thankful that his suffering is over now and that you are free from having to witness it.
May these coming days and weeks bring you much relief as you process the years of suffering you both went through and may G-d bring you to a complete understanding of why He allowed it.
I’m trusting that He has some big plans for you as you begin the next leg of life.
Blessings to you and yours.
Michael,
May His peace be yours in abundance.
Thank you for sharing, Michael. We have been following your story. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Blessings to you during this transition time.
Tanya & Gary Predoehl
Hi Michael C,
It has been a very difficult journey for you as a care-giver, you have sacrificed much, and have been so very long suffering.
May your Dad rest in peace, and may ABBA’s comfort be upon you.
Our prayers are with you!
Shalom shalom!
Thanks to all for your blessings.
We are moving on and back in life again.
” In fact, Yeshua’s objective among the lost sheep of the house of Israel was not to “save” them but rather to prod them to return to the original assignment—to bring the world to YHWH as emissaries of His way.”
That is the Grand Assignment, may I add, that Yahushua was/is committed to, to bringing us back to YHWH, our ABBA, directing us to ABBA, and not to Himself. Notwithstanding that He, Yahushua is One with the FATHER/ABBA, and Yahushua is YAH.
“The way of salvation is a different way, a separate way, a purposeful way. What difference does it make in you? What difference do you make to someone else?”
When I say to folks that I do not consume pork, nor shellfish and the like, I wish they would question me, but oftentimes, they presume that it is for health reasons. 🙁 But that is not the true reason. The real reason is about clean and unclean, as commanded in Torah, a mingling of the clean and profane, that is clearly set out, for spiritual reasons, to be obeyed for our good.
It is ignorance of what is good and right for us, health-wise as well. Being the Creator, He is well aware of what is meant for food to be consumed, and what is not.
We seek His deliverance from such ignorance for such folks, that is the only difference we make. Shalom!