Fallen Fences
O Israel, you are destroyed, but your help is in Me! Hosea 13:9
Destroyed – How is Israel destroyed? Hosea cries out on God’s behalf. The word used is šāḥat. Maybe you have some battle scenes in mind. Maybe you think of collapsed buildings and sacked villages. But if you read this word in Hebrew, some other images would be present. The word šāḥat also means “to pervert, to corrupt and to spoil.” Now we can think of self-inflicted destruction. Perverted from the inside, corrupted by their own desires, Israel implodes. Assyria and Babylon might have been the outside destroyers, but shahat tells us that there was rot at the core long before the hoards of invaders arrived.
That’s not quite all. šāḥat is the verb used in Genesis 38:9 and Malachi 2:8. In both cases, it describes disobedience. Apparently the Hebrew idea of destruction is connected to Torah disobedience. Surprised? The biblical concept of sin is the homogenous combination of the act and the consequence. Our culture separates action from punishment, but not the Hebrew culture. Sin already contains its own destructive poison. There is no action without the ensuing corruption and there is no corruption without the following destruction.
How is Israel destroyed? Well, the historians will give you an account of the movements of the great empires across the Fertile Triangle. The sociologists will speak of the influence of multi-culturalism. The political scientists can describe the failures of the monarchy. But God says that the destruction occurs because His people refuse to obey. Their disobedience results directly in their collapse. Once the seed was planted, the tree grew.
There are two important lessons here. The first is geo-political. Nations that refuse to align themselves with the God-designed fabric of the universe will fall. They plant seeds of their own destruction no matter how prosperous, noble or powerful they become. It’s only a matter of time.
The second lesson is communal and personal. What is true of nations is also true of individuals. You cannot sin and get away with it. The consequences are built right in to the action. Things rot. Corruption settles in. Perversion breeds. Life gets spoiled. Disobedience is not only about not being useful. It is also about dying. Like cancer, the corrupted cells may take awhile to begin to show, but without spiritual radiation treatment, it’s only a matter of time.
How is Israel destroyed? The same way we could be. Slowly, from the inside.
Topical Index: destroy, šāḥat, corrupt, spoil, pervert, Hosea 13:9
I need to hear this message today. WE need to hear this message today. How fitting that it is brought to us during this season. This time leading to the days of repentance.
Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.
Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.
Righteousness makes a nation great, but sin degrades any people. (Proverbs 14.34)
-If my people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7.14)
Psalm 27- (Complete Online Jewish Bible)
By David: ADONAI is my light and salvation; whom do I need to fear? ADONAI is the stronghold of my life; of whom should I be afraid? 2 When evildoers assailed me to devour my flesh, my adversaries and foes, they stumbled and fell. 3 If an army encamps against me, my heart will not fear; if war breaks out against me, even then I will keep trusting. 4 Just one thing have I asked of ADONAI; only this will I seek: to live in the house of ADONAI all the days of my life, to see the beauty of ADONAI and visit in his temple. 5 For he will conceal me in his shelter on the day of trouble, he will hide me in the folds of his tent, he will set me high on a rock. 6 Then my head will be lifted up above my surrounding foes, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, sing praises to ADONAI. 7 Listen, ADONAI, to my voice when I cry; show favor to me; and answer me. 8 “My heart said of you, ‘Seek my face.'”Your face, ADONAI, I will seek. 9 Do not hide your face from me, don’t turn your servant away in anger. You are my help; don’t abandon me; don’t leave me, God my savior. 10 Even though my father and mother have left me, ADONAI will care for me. 11 Teach me your way, ADONAI; lead me on a level path because of my enemies 12 don’t give me up to the whims of my foes; for false witnesses have risen against me, also those who are breathing violence. 13 If I hadn’t believed that I would see ADONAI’s goodness in the land of the living, . . . 14 Put your hope in ADONAI, be strong, and let your heart take courage! Yes, put your hope in ADONAI!
Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.
Thy Word commands our flesh to dust,
“Return, ye sons of men:”
All nations rose from earth at first,
And turn to earth again.
A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.
The busy tribes of flesh and blood,
With all their lives and cares,
Are carried downwards by the flood,
And lost in following years.
Time, like an ever rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly, forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the opening day.
Like flowery fields the nations stand
Pleased with the morning light;
The flowers beneath the mower’s hand
Lie withering ere ‘tis night.
Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while troubles last,
And our eternal home.
I truly believe what you have described above is the nemesis of the the Hebrew Roots Movement.
Douglas, could you elucidate please? I truly would love to hear more..
“I truly believe what you have described above is the nemesis of the the Hebrew Roots Movement”
Hi Douglas,
That is a very interesting use of the term nemesis in your statement above.
But it seems incorrect to me on the surface.
In any case, it is a bit of a mind bender.
We tend to think of the wrath of God as something coming from the outside.
And in that Greek sense, the “wrath of God” is like the “Nemesis” in the following definition from Greek mythology:
Definition 1: The goddess of divine retribution and vengeance.
But the main point of Skip’s message above seems more like “virtue is it’s own reward.”
And sin or disobedience is kind of like eating too much junk food and not exercising.
We end up with a “broken body” and there is no external cause,
There is no “nemesis;” no one to blame but Ourselves.
Nemesis has a secondary meaning that does not seem to apply either.
Definition 2: Bane: something causing misery or death; “the bane of my life”
I don’t think the meaning above would apply to the Hebrew Roots movement in your sentence.
Searching on Nemesis, I found the following information, which seems very strange to me:
“Nemesis is an operating system designed by the University of Cambridge, the University of Glasgow, the Swedish Institute of Computer Science and Citrix Systems.”
Hey we are designing a great new operating system; it’s call the “bane of our existence.”
Better sell my Citrix stock.
Very good Skip ,very good. We know this in our heads but it needs to get into the heart and be worked out through the entire body. Very clearly explained about the rot within and so many blaming the enemy at every corner. Keep up the good work of faith.
Carl,
I’ll articulate as well as I can. Having been in the Messianic Movement for over twenty years…not to consider length of time to be a credential, but rather the various experiences and different groups of folks I have been exposed, I have concluded that idolatry is the most pervasive and insidious sin among them all.
The worst idolatry has got to be religious idolatry. I have seen different ministries, who have considerable knowledge and insight, utilize scripture in such a way as to manipulate and control. I have seen a number of ministries and ministerial leaders of the Hebrew Roots movement fall into the same pattern. Though they may profess they have come out and become separate their actions tell a different story.
We simply cannot implement that written from a Hebraic mind, language, culture, background, etc. with an Hellenistic understanding. The Hellenistic mind says “when I see it, I’ll believe it.” Where as the Hebraic mind “I’ll trust and do it, then in time I’ll see it.”
We stand at a time in world history at Nebuchadnezzar’s feet…recipients of thousands of years of pagan aka Babylonian influence. Some of the most insidious influence is what I call a substitutionary obedience. I have seen and experienced the deception of thinking we honor YHVH with our minds, but our hearts…true acts of service, are too often not accomplished. . I believe the context from which the passage: Rev 2:24 KJV – …as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak,,, illustrates what I’m suggesting.
This is the rot and the decay that I believe Skip is suggesting in his Fallen Fences midrash. For the most part we are all in dispersion due to our ancestor’s disobedience. I also believe that YHVH’s Spirit is being poured out in these days. I use myself as a testimony in that what I seek and am being shown is a great departure from my family heritage. There is much to learn and understand. A good part of that education comes from unlearning a Westernized pattern of political rhetoric.
Sincerely & Shalom,
Doug
Doug, I thank you for sharing. I will share some of my “background” with you. I’ll cut it very short by saying- I am not the man I used to be or if you prefer- “I’m not who I was.”
I know it is rather inane to say this, but it needs to be said to all. It is this- we (all) are different. G-d makes no “cookie-cutter Christians”. I will use three Hebrew “worthies” to make my point. “Names known to all who are followers of the Way. Abraham, Moses and Noah. All three (and these are only three- we could include myriads more for comparison, but for simplicity we’ll be content with three), are (shock of shocks!) different. But, all three are the same in one way. (Didn’t take us long, now, -did it?) All three serve the same G-d and all three are very uniquely related to a greater story. This is where you and I come in. We (also) are different. But my (Jewish?) friend- our great G-d is a G-d of incredible diversity. Billions of bugs, bunches of birds, animals galore and thousands of millions of the human species. Point is our G-d made them all. The bug, the bird, and Bubba who lives down the street, – our G-d made every one of them. And my friend, our G-d, our Father loves every single one them. “All”. Me and you (and a dog named Boo)- He loves all of us, but even more importantly He loves each of us. He used Moses to accomplish His good purposes and He will use you and I to do the same. Mighty Pharaoh was used by G-d, but Pharaoh made some wrong choices that ended up costing him the life of his son and then his own life along with the lives of his army when He wildly pursued the children of Israel into the sea.
I am a Goy by my first birth. I have been adopted into the family of G-d by my second birth. You may call me a red-headed step-child if you wish (with apologies to all red-headed step children who read this), but just don’t call me late for dinner. YHWH is my heavenly Father. I know this.
I have no doubt of this- not a shred. (Please ask me how I know!- I’d love to share!).
The Jews are G-d’s chosen ones. Always have been and always will be. G-d is far from through with the Jew. (the best is yet to be!). “Salvation” is offered “to the Jew first”- they are the primary target, and also (and I am so thankful for this “and also”, to the Goy (non-Jew). Christ died for “whosoever will” and dear brother (praise His name!) I qualify. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the LORD, shall be saved.” (I know.. -too simple.).
Help me please to see. I’m blind in one eye and can’t see out of the other- Why? Why do you think some Jews reject Yeshua as the Messiah? (not all- some..). I suppose I would need to answer the same question concerning my people – the Gentiles!). It’s a mystery to me..
I am not so narrow as some in that I say- “it’s my way or the highway.” My Bible says- “other sheep have I which are not of this fold”. Heaven is going to be quite a mix. Reminds me of the caucophony onboard poor Noah’s ark. All that hollerin’ and bellerin’, (not to mention the smell)- I’ll bet he was ready for forty days to end! There was diversity on board that ark of safety!-
So what is our common ground? Is there anywhere where we may meet? Let’s go to His cross and kneel there together. He shed His holy blood for us. We will bow the knee- together- for He is the One who is worthy.
Gilead is nothing but iniquity,
they are falsehood, nothing else;
at Gilgal they SACRIFICE to BULLS;
their altars shall be reduced to stones
in a ploughed field.
Hosea 12:12
Apparently, Hosea was not a big fan of “bull fighting.”