Mysterious Left-overs
“If thieves came to you, If robbers by night— O how you will be ruined!— Would they not steal only until they had enough? If grape gatherers came to you, Would they not leave some gleanings?” Obadiah 1:5 NASB
Gleanings – Are you left-overs? I know we like to think of ourselves as the elect, the chosen, the special ones of the Lord. And, indeed, that’s true. But did you know that God refers to His chosen few as “left-overs”? Look at Isaiah 17:6 and 24:13. Then consider the usage of ‘olelot (gleanings) in Obadiah. After the judgment of God, His people are the left-overs. Refined by fire, purified by trial, cleansed by commitment, they emerge as the gleanings of heaven.
Ah, now you’re cheering. “Yes, that’s me. I have been through the fire. I’ve endured trials. I am committed.” Not so fast, please. According to Brown-Driver-Briggs and Koehler-Baumgartner, this word is derived from ‘alal. As we have learned recently, ‘alal is about maltreatment and malevolent acts. So the focus of gleanings doesn’t seem to be on the remains but rather on all that is taken away resulting in the left-overs. In other words, the left-overs is what no one else wants. Gleanings in the field do not represent the prized harvest. They represent the rejected grain.
Perhaps we need to think of our citizenship in the Kingdom a little differently. Remember Yeshua’s comments about the days of Noah and the days of Lot. The righteous are the left-overs after the wicked have been removed. The righteous emerge after judgment. The harvest (of the wicked) is gathered to the barns of destruction. What’s left? Gleanings. Perhaps our spiritual arrogance and theological pride pose a serious threat to our true status. We aren’t the big deal in God’s universe. We are what’s left after He has finished with everything else. Of course, that doesn’t make us unimportant. Gleanings are critically important for starving people. But only for starving people. Those who are satisfied with the harvest do not go into the field to glean. The poor glean. “Lucky those poor in spirit,” said Yeshua. Maybe he has gleaning in mind.
Sometimes a word jars us back to the severe reality of Scripture. Today I got an email message that read, “if grace is not free to us it is not grace. Obedience is not expected of us it is produced in us, otherwise there is no new covenant. . . If his gift was not free to me it is payment for services rendered by me which is reduction ad absurdam [sic]. I could not pay anything for it as the nature of sin, the inward nature of sin invalidated my motives.” I understand his point of view, but it is conditioned by a doctrine of sin and a view of grace that I can’t find in Scripture. I can find it in the Church, no doubt. But Scripture seems to clearly require obedience as a sign of hesed and God seems to exercise judgment on that basis. And as for free, no, I don’t think so. At great cost grace (hen) came to the world. The fact that I didn’t pay doesn’t make it any less costly. It makes me wonder how much spiritual effrontery accompanies the constant cry of, “It’s all free.” By the way, gleanings were not free either. Someone else had to plant. Someone else had to reap. Then I had to go pick up the left-overs. Ask Ruth if the food she gathered was free. I don’t think she was on vacation in Bethlehem.
Imagine the implications of the connection between ‘alal and ‘olelot. The root word involves grief, intense pain, exploitation, to make sport of someone and maltreatment. Have you every thought of gleanings in this light? Probably not. But think of the feelings that arise in a person who is forced to glean in order to survive. Do you suppose that’s what Yeshua had in mind in that first Beatitude?
Topical Index: gleanings, ‘olelot, ‘alal, Obadiah 1:5
They have stripped the fields of the truth, they have left the gleaning around the edges. They haven’t turned back and I stand here, poor. Poor in many ways, fellowship, relationship, friendship and worst of all the truth of who, what and where is the push to go forward.
I was pondering this morning in the shower how when I was in the church there was always this push for doing better, to be used and to improve in my walk. I prayed more, to be accepted more, to shine more and be more. But it was all about me.
It is still all about me on how to survive and how to walk without companionship and the relationship I once felt I had with Yahweh. If this is the stuff that will purify me, well I guess I am on the correct path and it sure doesn’t feel to correct.
It is all grace and it is all “gift.” Every breath of life is another gift. Every functioning heart and mind and soul is a gift. “All” good things are gifts from Above.
But here is the clincher; it may be free to us, the recipients- but it was paid for at so great a cost! It is absolutely true:there is no “free lunch!” Someone somewhere pays!
This, is our problem. We do not consider the cost! We do not remember our Benefactor! The Benevolent God who loved! The One who loved us to death!- and beyond.. for He (still) intercedes for us.
No friend, it is “not about me!” Not by a long-shot. It is about the One who gave HIs life’s blood and very last breath for my sin and for my sake.
I want you to hear this well: Christ died for (only) me. And? He died for you. He died for “whosoever will..” His death on Calvary’s cross was the (the only) payment and propitiation (peace offering) for sin. The full wrath of God, the “fury” of God was spent and poured out upon the Lamb of God, at Calvary.
The price of sin, the judgment of sin, the atonement for sin all took place on Golgatha’s hill, two millennia ago.
Do the scriptures speak or attest to this? We report..- you decide.
Was there a temple in the Older Covenant in which a sacrifice for the sins of the people took place once a year in the holy of holies, on Yom Kippur? (the day of Atonement).
What sacrifice did the high priest offer? It was blood sprinkled upon the “mercy seat.” What were the sacrifices of Cain and of Abel? Which one was “pleasing” unto the LORD? – and why?
Cain must have worked hard” to raise and arrange those awesome vegetables. We know (now) in twenty-twenty hindsight Cain was mighty disappointed and dejected (and might we say) -defeated and downcast? So much so he “rose up” in anger against his own blood-brother Abel and in cold-blood, murdered him.
This, is the decided difference between Christianity and every other known “religion” in this world. (the one we now live in). Christianity is not spelled “do” (not by works of righteousness which we have done) – it is DONE. Finished. Final. Full. And yes, Calvary (Hallelujah) covers it all!
Now I know some may be worried about my “current” status. Oh, (some might say) because you are now safe and secure and salvation has purchased with a price (what was the “price” again?)- now, now “I” may live any ol’ way I choose too! To this, (accusation maybe?) I would answer – ~ Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? And Paul’s right answer is? (Are you listening?) “God forbid!” And to this, I would add my ready “amen!” Never.
May I (now) testify? What has sin done for me? Oh friend, -if you could only see my scars! – My wounds will speak for me! I am covered with them, inside and out! – and yes, I (myself) have left in my wake- another “trail of tears!” Move over Paul, – O wretched man that I am! – Is this room for another at the feet of Jesus? – Hallelujah! Yes! This, I know.
I am amazed. I am amazed at the amount of people (some highly educated) who have no idea, clue or concept of what the gospel (the good news) of Jesus (who is the) Christ is. And some (I am afraid) are “willingly ignorant.” O, Hallelujah! – for the cross!
It’s a nice sermon, Carl, but I would raise objections to the idea that the atonement took place on the cross and that it is all “done.” Obedience isn’t “done” until we are done. You might want to reconsider the notion that the “good news” is about salvation from sin. It seems to me that Scripture says that good news is about God’s kingdom reigning on earth. Salvation is a by-product of that master plan. And finally, Christianity might portray the process as fully complete on the cross (at least since the reformers, before that, maybe not), but that only make “Christianity” different. It does not mean that the Hebraic view of the Kingdom nor the God of ISRAEL are actually “Christian.”
If atonement did not take place upon the tslav, then when and where? What is the “covering” for our sins? Does Jesus the Nazarene have the authority to forgive sins? Was there ever (is there ever) a prayer that our Savior, the son of man has prayed that was not answered by God the Father? Was an innocent man crucified at Calvary? What was the purpose of the cross? Was the resurrection real?
These are only some of my “objections..” Is this “sermon” mine (only?)~ For the “preaching” of the cross is to them who are perishing..- foolishness, but unto us who are being saved (salvation is a process?) – it is the power of God ~
What presactly is the “gospel?” What were Paul’s words? ( written by Paul, – repeated by me) ~ For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to ALL who believe..- (always) to the Jew first.. AND (?) to the Greek ~ If ANY man be in Christ.. He (or she) is a new creation.. (oh?) The “battle” (what battle? – the “battle is over!- it is finished!) is NOT between the Jew and the Greek, – nor is it between the male and the female- No, not at all.
But there are sheep and then there are goats. And there is wheat and then there are tares (who give the appearance of wheat and blend in rather well. There are wolves among us who wear the clothing of sheep.
Our (true) problem? “WE” do err..- not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God! Why is this so? It is because, my dear friends, the written word of God declares unto us, the promised Messiah has not only come, but also conquered.
Remember this confession? “You are” (He is) the Christ, the Son of the Living God.. – and to this I would add my own personal confession: He is LORD!
LORD of the Jews? Yes. LORD of the Gentiles? Yes. LORD of creation? Yes. Hear this well: LORD of ALL. Any questions? Right here is our answer: ~ what do the scriptures say? ~ (it is written!)
It is condescension enough that God would become a man, but then..- to “crown” and crucify the Messiah? What were we thinking? I too, would ask – why?
~ He went about doing good ~ “What evil has He done?”
Greetings, Carl.
In answer to some of your questions and objections, I covered nearly all of them in Cross Word Puzzles. Yes, he is our atonement. No, it didn’t happen on the cross. Yes, it is still a reality. The cross is about something else, something very important, especially to Gentiles (which is why Paul says what he says).
As for “good news” stuff, please read Daniel Gruber Copernicus and the Jews. He treats the idea of the good news from a Jewish, Hebraic, biblical perspective, not an evangelical Reformed aberration. It is quite revealing.
After you have digested these two books, then let’s talk.
Yesterday I heard someone read a quote, don’t know the author, that goes something like this “there is nothing that we forget so slowly than an offense and so quickly as a favour.” (In regard to the e-mail). Reading this I’ve been crying like a baby, thank you for that wake-up call, sometimes we forget at whom do we have to look at and whose image do we have to show.
Perhaps Jesus has the true insight about the gospel.
He said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel
to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will
be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”
Mk 16: 15-16
I sew. Have for most of my life. There are words in Hebrew that denote ‘remnant’, a similar concept. Cloth is sold by the yard, but at the end of the bolt or when a certain pattern has been discontinued and there is not enough of the fabric left for a decent project, regardless of how expensive or beautiful it is, it is bundled and put on the ‘remnant’ table for a severely reduced price to be picked over and pushed aside.
After studying this concept and being soundly reprimanded by rapture enthusiasts when I first realized that the ones taken were not the faithful, I began to consider what I truly was. It is humbling. It is contrary to all I was taught about being better than by making myself conform to the established standards. Sounds icky, but ultimately that is where such teaching leads. False humility that says I am no better than anyone else, but my heart believes differently. (I understand where Babs is coming from) False humility is the other end of the pride stick and it says but doesn’t do. Faith without works is dead, plain and simple. Works without faith is useless.
FYI – The Hebrew words yether (“what is left”) (Deut. 3:11, 28:54) and she’ar (“the remainder”) (Ezra 3:8, Isa. 10:20, 11:16), she’erith (“residue”) (2 Kings 19:31, Isa. 14:30) all express what is left over after a war, after a time of testing, a disaster, or a period of apostasy. In the Greek Septuagint (LXX) the Greek verb leipo (and derivative verbs such as kataloipo, hypoleipo, perileipo, and epileipo) were used. When used (rarely) in the New Testament this word leipo is usually translated “to fall short, to lack, or to be in need.”
Like flies to wanton boys are we to the gods
They kill us for their sport
King Lear
Shakesperare
oops, I meant Shakespeare
And that reminds me of something I was sharing with some old academic friends last weekend
After watching the soccer match up in Berkeley
I was saying that in the Hebrew worldview there is more than one god
Yahweh is the creator, but in the Book of Job we find Ha Satan and the Sons of God
Up in Heaven
Yeshua must have thought he was an incarnation of one of these Sons
These may be the “left overs” but the Remnant would be the ones who have over come, not merely survived in various situations or circumstances, but having gone through hardships, persecutions, despair, rejections, isolation, accusations, etc.. and yet are better off than before, more than conquerors, victors who will attain a crown of Life filled with the joy of appreciating Who YAH is.
Shalom.