Hebrew Evangelism
“He will not cry out or raise His voice, nor make His voice heard in the street.” Isaiah 42:2 NASB
Not cry out – The street corner evangelist. A big sign, “Where will you go when you die?” The billboard: “Jesus Saves.” The television preacher. A mass audience taking notes about the PowerPoint sermon. All crying out to be heard. But YHVH says of His servant, lo yitsaq, “he will not cry out.” The message of the Messiah is not headline news, at least not in the way we think of headliners. It is the most important message the world will ever hear, but it is not for public consumption. The Messiah is not a town crier. Neither are his followers.
The Hebrew verb tsa’aq is not merely about making a loud noise. It is specifically about calling out for help under great distress or uttering an exclamation of great excitement.[1] The Messiah will do neither. In quiet reserve, with deliberate forethought, in parables, in exhortations of caution, the Messiah goes about fulfilling the role YHVH gives him. The fanfare is incidental and not initiated by him. What matters is the relationship with the Father. All the rest is superfluous. The Messiah is about the Father’s business, not his own. There is no reason to advertise.
But that’s not our model, is it? We are in the spiritual excitement business. We love to advertise. We want more posters, more billboards, more public awareness, more campaigns, more revivals. We don’t keep quiet when it comes to our Lord. Shout it from the rooftops. Maybe someone will hear.
Do you find this form of evangelism a bit odd, perhaps even unbiblical? Does it bother you that God almost never makes a big splash, writes large in the sky, announces Himself to everyone? Do you wonder where we got the idea that we need a church on every corner and an endless stream of television preaching? Who told us that we were tasked with transmitting information to every living soul on the planet? Perhaps we live too illustriously to actually be used by YHVH. Perhaps He’s looking for “under the radar” servants. It is striking that Isaiah paints a picture of the Messiah as one who does not seek publicity, does not make a loud cry, does not concern himself with publicity. In fact, just the opposite seems true of Yeshua. Both Satan and the religious leaders of the day found that exceptional—and impeachable. If we are followers of the Messiah, don’t you suppose that his methods set the standard?
How are you going about quietly changing the world?
Topical Index: cry out, tsa’aq, evangelism, Isaiah 42:2
[1] Cf. TWOT, ṣāʿaq, #1947.
What is a lover? The times I needed love the most were the times I was without protection. I needed relief from oppression. I needed a break in the wind. I needed someone to say “I will take responsibility for the chaos. I will stop the suffering and restore relationship and pay for the damages. This one is on me.” I needed a saviour with skin on. Someone to protect me. That is what I needed. (I took notes, as you can see.)
I think Seeker asked what the dangerous life of a committed follower looked like. That total risk point. Well, the people who reached out to me in dark places all took risks. My world was not a safe one, and it was designed to reveal the truth, too. You had to be serious before your caring made a difference in my life. I watched people hurry by my pain on the other sides of their streets. I watched them turn their heads. I watched them close their hearts. It was a real education. I am here to say that I now believe the suffering on this planet is granted to the Grand Jurors who also are writing the indictments of all of us, and to the extent that we are successful in closing our hearts to that pain and that need is to the extent that it will be charged to our account. Temptation may come in the form of the hidden misery next door, and it may come in the form of hardness of heart. I know the last thing I needed in my ditch was someone else yelling at me.
> I needed relief from oppression. I needed a break in the wind. . . .
> I needed a saviour with skin on. Someone to protect me. . . .
> I watched people hurry by my pain on the other sides of their streets.
> I watched them turn their heads. I watched them close their hearts. . . .
> Temptation may come in the form of the hidden misery next door,
> and it may come in the form of hardness of heart.
> I know the last thing I needed in my ditch was someone else yelling at me.
Wow, so beautifully expressed! You have a gift. There is music in your language.
The Messiah is about the Father’s business, not his own. AMEN
That total risk point. Well, the people who reached out to me in dark places all took risks. AS LONG AS YESHAU IS IN THIS WORLD HE IS THE LIGHT FOR THE WORLD – HE UNFORTUNATELY HAS VERY SELECTIVE FOLLOWERS AND NOT TRUE FOLLOWERS…
An evangelist for Yeshau is not what we say or study, BUT WHAT WE DO.
‘Ye are my book read by others’ – the reason why no more biblical records are created except those introduced by mankind. YHVH does not need new processes or guidelines everything needed by mankind has already been reveal (Yes Skip – seem translated to serve a purpose of the powers/rulers of the time and needs to be restored – Thank you for your efforts.)
Today a few dedicated Hebrew teachers are trying to restore the truths… WE THANK YHVH FOR THESE SCHOLARS – For this reason a different judgement is set for the teachers…
YHVH inscribes our hearts, others help clarify what has been written, once we have clarification we will be guided/empowered by the Holy Ghost (Acts 1) Stay in Jerusalem till…
Annemarie maybe your gift to guide in this direction as to when empowered by the Holy Ghost (Set-Apart Spirit) is something we also need to shared…
I remember years ago being told of a preacher writing the following sidenote on his sermon:
“ARGUMENT WEAK … YELL LIKE HELL”
This very subject is one that I have thought a lot about while in the institutional church and since. My journey out of the desert of so to speak has taken me to the depths to finally reaching the place of coming before the Father and confessing that I didn’t know where I was going or what I was doing or anything.His answer was communicated with an attitude of “WELL Finally!”, now I can raise MYSelf up in you and no man will be able to squash Me. After being born again since 1970 and in the church always “sifting the truth” and trying to figure out “what was wrong with this picture” in many areas the growing discontent and realization finally brought me to the point of not going to church at all for about 2-3 years. I was one of the ones that were there overtime the doors were open so this was major.
One of the growing concerns was the push to measure up that the churches standard of evangelism. The pressure that someday having to answer before the Father for not doing everything possible to bring in the lost was always eating away at some part of me. I would think about how maybe just a touch, a smile, an action or demonstration of truth in my lifestyle spoke to people in ways that I just am not able to do. After years of going to every conference available, every class given on any and all subjects, books, tapes, CDs, TV every form of communication possible I found that I still was able to retain the information the way that they gave it and It weighted on me heavily to the point of feeling suicidal and not realizing it. I guess I just wasn’t ever going to measure up to saving the world and being super Christian after all these years.
Going door to door cold turkey, passing out tracks, all the little paths doing your part only helped show me that it didn’t work every well and that neither did I. Maybe letting the Lord lead and guide and speak through to reach someone and met their need was the answer after all. Doing what the Father says to do and saying what the Father says to say. As I have often said “if I had known what I was doing, I would have messed it up”….you know trying to help YWVH and getting in the way. Maybe it’s a lot like when we try to help someone the doesn’t really want our help, YWVH has to take His hands off the situation as long as we have ours one it.
Thank you Skip, for showing us an answer that we have been awaiting.
Shalom friend.
God’s loving word is the most powerful force in the universe.
It is the source of the universe!
When we allow Him to quietly, yet powerfully, voice it through us,
darkness turns to light . . . and the world becomes new to the hearers.
Dang. Guess I’ll see if I can return my megaphone.
While I was growing up, there were two people in my life that stood out. I knew they feared God, and I knew I wanted to live my life like they were living theirs, yet they never spoke to me about God or the Bible. They never preached to me. One of them never went to church, but as a child I could see this person loved God.
I have been there…I like to quote Art Katz from Apostolic Foundations..
Moses led the flock on the backside of the desert where the Mount of God is to be found-and only there. We can go to all our charismatic conferences and all of the renowned speakers for our ‘great experiences in God,’ and yet come back with ashes in our mouth, because we have not gone to the backside but the frontside. But the Mount of God is not located there. Horeb means ‘dry, desiccated, barren and impoverished.’ That is the Mount of God and it is that which He occupies. That is where God is to be found. Do we have a stomach to seek Him in that place? The backside is unsavory, unbecoming and unspectacular. The frontside is where the action is, being lush, and has all the glitter, the big stars, the names, and the activity. Who is going to seek the backside where the Mount of God is? Nothing has changed. Do we have a stomach for the backside, and can we be weaned away from the frontside with all of the four-color brochures that come in the mailbox? Be blessed all of you!
Yes, did all that too, happily giving out tracts after sunday services, doing our part in reaching out to the lost :-), leaving them to do their part in reading them and calling up or coming to the services. We would speak to those who wished to chat.
Having never stayed in any denomination, nor church for long, the small group of us (brought together by ABBA for His divine will), we preferred to bring guitars and tambourines to the beach, have a picnic, and sing our inspirational songs, hoping they would brighten someone’s life, as such music has touched and enriched mine.
We brought out lots of cheer and smiles, that was rewarding.
I have been wrestling with this for awhile. It has been quite clear that a light which we’re to be, isn’t a voice.
Why do I stay away from this site so long? This was particularly refreshing.