Spiritual Warfare
Come and pray. . . The Jerusalem Talmud, Berakhot 4:4 (8b)
Pray – The Jerusalem Talmud, the shorter of the two great collections of rabbinic material, includes the following instruction:
“One who is called upon to lead services is not told, ‘Come and pray,’ but ‘Come and kerav – offer our sacrifices, seek out our needs, fight our wars.”
Weiss comments: “The word kerav, here meaning ‘battle’ or ‘combat,’ is related to the word karov, ‘close.’ This term perfectly captures the combative yet intimate nature of prayer—the need to draw close to God in order to challenge Him.”
Perhaps this is why Heschel wrote, “It is not safe to pray alone.”
Have you prayed like this? Have you stood before the Lord and challenged Him, fought with Him, argued with Him—as Abraham did, as Moses did? Have you considered the intimacy of argument, the fervor, the intensity? Or are your prayers patterned according to the acceptable social etiquette of religion. Cautious, plebian pabulum designed more to placate than to debate. Where did we learn to pray as if we were imploring a Policeman not to give us (please, pretty please) a ticket to hell? Do you think Yeshua prayed like Walter Mitty? Was Moses’ middle name “Milquetoast”? Abraham Heschel wrote, “a man’s prayer is answered only if he stakes his life on it.” That means prayer is a life and death activity. Where have you been while the cosmos is shaking and God is quaking?
The religious community opines about spiritual warfare quite often, but the problem seems to be that we expect some angelic host to do the fighting for us. We plead for intervention instead of sharpening the weapons we have been given. We bow our heads and fold our hands like good little supplicants instead of slicing our way into the presence of the Most High, blood running down the thigh as we cut apart His inattention to the matter. “O Lord, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?” is the opening of an amazing battle. It is not a battle with the forces of darkness, the evil demons or Lucifer, as is so popular among those who have accepted medieval views of the “Enemy.” It is a battle with YHVH, an attempt to argue that YHVH’s decision is incorrect! It is a man, Moses, standing up against GOD! Are you kidding? Is this even conceivable? But, of course, it is. It is intimate argument, the kind, I suspect, that God loves. How much more do you think He appreciates, no, relishes, prayer that is so intense that it is unafraid to object?! Would you rather have passive compliance or fervent dispute? Who taught you the kindergarten view of prayer—and why do you insist on remaining a child? As it is said, “the time of prayer is a time of combat.”
Since we just looked at the plea of the prophets to return to God, perhaps it is time to fight for a place to stand in His presence. If you make enough commotion, He might turn in your direction. The greatest sin is not idolatry. It is indifference. That sin destroys our humanity too.
Topical Index: prayer, kerav, karov, battle, close, Berakhot 4:4 (8b)
