For the week of August 31, 2024 / 27 Av 5784

Re’eh
Torah: D’varim/Deuteronomy 11:26 – 16:17
Haftarah: Isaiah 54:11 – 55:5
Originally posted the week of August 15, 2020 / 25 Av 5780

See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known. (D’varim/Deuteronomy 11:26-28)

The welfare of ancient Israel was intimately tied to their adherence to the covenant established by God through Moses. Faithful adherence would result in blessing, the Torah term for possessing the potential for life, reproductive life. They would have large, healthy and thriving families over multiple generations; their animals would abundantly reproduce; and they would live in safety and security. Conversely, the consequences for disregarding Torah were curses, the removal of life, including illness, desolation, fear, and being overcome by their enemies resulting in eventual exile.

God never intended obedience and disobedience to be understood in absolute terms as if the tiniest infraction would be deemed as breaking covenant and thus inviting disaster. The God of Torah is merciful and patient, ready and willing to forgive when wrongdoers humble themselves. The grave disobedience that results in cursing is defined as “to go after other gods that you have not known” (D’varim/Deuteronomy 11:28). Breaking covenant was expressed by rejecting the one true God in favor of the false gods of idolatry.

The God of Israel’s prohibition against false gods was both personal and impersonal. It was personal in the sense that he alone was their savior. Not only did he establish them as a people through their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, he became their redeemer by rescuing them from the bondage of slavery in Egypt. Therefor Israel owed their existence and their freedom to this God alone. To engage other gods would be a personal act of disloyalty.

The prohibition against false gods was also impersonal in that there are issues in engaging other gods that apply to all people and not only due to the kind of covenant relationship that Israel had with God. Whatever was true universally for all people regarding other gods would also apply to Israel in addition to that which uniquely applied to them due to the covenant.

The first universal principle would be that other gods are not gods. God-ness, so to speak, was erroneously ascribed to concepts and entities by people. To worship false gods was to create false reality. Not only does the worship of false gods misrepresent the truth of the God of Israel as being the only god, it misrepresents truth in general. People may enjoy or find some other perceived benefit in living in a false version of the world, but that has never gone well for them.

The second universal principle regarding other gods is that whether they be represented via a sculpted image, such as an idol; or a personalized force of nature, such as Thor the supposed god of thunder; or the de-religiousized gods of today, be they sex or success, they all are derived from the creation instead of from outside of it. Every other god is humanly based as the product of analyzing nature or imagination or both. The God of Israel precedes and dwells outside of creation. His word has been given to the world via the people of Israel from the outside in.

The myriad of false gods from time immemorial operate from the inside out. If only we can figure it out, we can make the world a better place. We somehow think we can find identity, meaning, success, and lasting joy within the creation. It can’t be done. Every attempt to accomplish salvation from inside creation not only fails but invites disaster. As beings made in the image of one who resides outside of creation we need outside help.

The warning to Israel is a warning to all. Life is not found in ourselves or the world around us. Life is only found in the creator God, the redeemer of Israel. Not only has he communicated his word into the created order through Moses and the Prophets, he embodies his word in the person of his Son, Yeshua the Messiah. Like the covenant of old, Yeshua came from the outside in to rescue those who put their trust in him. Once we discover the outside-in reality of the creator through Yeshua, then we are equipped to live life within the creation as we were truly meant to.

Scriptures taken from the English Standard Version

For the week of August 24, 2024 / 20 Av 5784

Ekev
Torah D’varim/Deuteronomy 7:12 – 11:25
Haftarah: Isaiah 49:14 – 51:3

Note: Due to the nature of this week’s message I recommend listening to the audio version. – Alan

Beware lest you say in your heart, “My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.” (D’varim/Deuteronomy 8:17)

The 2004 Pixar film, “The Incredibles” is one of my favorites. I love stories of people struggling with their particular giftings. Perhaps they are unaware of their abilities, or they are aware, but can’t or won’t express them. In some cases, they may see their ability in a negative light, not knowing that what they perceive as a curse is actually a blessing.

The Incredibles, as you may be aware, is a comic-book-style animated film of a family of superheroes, who are coping with a government crackdown on such folks due to liability issues. The film’s villain, Syndrome, has a double-pronged plot to destroy any remaining superheroes and later to sell off his technology, providing superhero-like enhancements to the general population. His goal is: “When everyone’s super, no one will be” (see clip here). In his twisted, bitter mind, he conceives that if no one has greater abilities than anyone else, he will resolve his own feelings of inferiority and rejection.

Ironically, what Syndrome doesn’t understand is that, comic-book superpowers aside, everyone is already super. While I am pretty sure you cannot fly, run at superspeed, make yourself invisible, or stretch your limbs infinitely, you have been endowed with power from God, enabling you to do all sorts of things you would never be able to do on your own.

I am not here referring to extraordinary talents such as those on display at the recent Summer Olympic Games in Paris. Or those musical and artistic capabilities that relatively few have been given. I have learned how even extremely talented and successful people can look on with envy on those who appear to be more talented and successful than they are.

But let’s forget comparison for a moment. Let’s simply try to grasp the wonder of what it means to be a human being. Not one of us chose to be born. We didn’t create our heredity. Perhaps we worked hard at developing our innate characteristics, but even our ability and the opportunities to develop ourselves aren’t self-derived.

Everything that makes us who and what we are comes from outside of us. That is why God, through Moses, warns us so sternly: Beware lest you say in your heart, “My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth” (D’varim/Deuteronomy 8:17). To assert that our human abilities are derived from ourselves is to deceive ourselves and misrepresent the One who gave us all life. In other words, to fail to acknowledge that even the most basic of human abilities comes from God is to live a lie.

Once we realize that every human ability is a gift from God, then we can also begin to appreciate the miracle that human life is, including every ability we have. And if every ability is a gift of the supernatural God—that makes us all super!

Everyone being super, contrary to Syndrome’s assertion in the Incredibles, doesn’t undermine our superpowers, so to speak. Syndrome was caught in a web of rejection and envy, blinding him from the beauty of the vast array of superpowers bestowed upon humanity by our creative and benevolent Heavenly Father.

I am aware that most of us don’t feel super. We struggle with a great many limitations and are objects of deep suffering at times. Some are beset by the kinds of circumstances similar to the fictional Syndrome. But that doesn’t mean we must be like him.

In order not to fall into Syndrome’s trap, we need a better grasp of what’s wrong with us. According to Scripture, “sin,” is the principle of evil at play behind the brokenness of our human nature. While that brokenness may obscure our superpowers, it doesn’t obliterate them. In fact, it’s often the human propensity to overcome sin that is most super.

Through the Messiah, God has provided an opportunity for us to connect with our supernaturally derived abilities. He didn’t do so like a comic-book superhero, however. Instead, Yeshua became just like us and demonstrated the fullness of what it means to be human. This included taking on the full brunt of our brokenness, in order to enable us to be superheroes in a broken world.

Scriptures taken from the English Standard Version

Va-etchannan
For the week of August 17, 2024 / 13 Av 5784
Torah: D’varim/Deuteronomy 3:23 – 7:11
Haftarah: Isaiah 40:1-26
Originally posted the week of July 28, 2018 / 16 Av 5778 (revised)

Note: I am posting this earlier than usual this week, as we approach the saddest day in the Jewish calendar, Tisha B’Av, the ninth day of the month Av. This day is remembered as the occasion of the most devastating events in Jewish history, including the destruction of both Temples (see this Wikipedia article for more information including the list of tragedies). This year is especially grievous given the anticipation of a devastating Iranian attack on Israel. Whatever happens, may the following TorahBytes message speak to the hearts of Jewish people everywhere and to all who love Israel’s God.—Alan Gilman

* * *

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. (Isaiah 40:1-2)

One cannot overstate the drama of Isaiah’s comfort call. The contrast of these words with what comes before is so great that scholars tend to assume that they are authored by a different speaker/writer. The contrast of tone isn’t the only reason for the common scholarly determination of more than one “Isaiah,” but I don’t find such a conclusion compelling. What we really have is the start of a sequel or a new act.

Act One had ended with the stage gone dark. All hope is lost because Israel had spiraled down an apparent point of no return. The narrative closed with a most cynical tale of King Hezekiah, one of the greatest of all Jewish kings, receiving God’s message from Isaiah that even though he successfully overcame the Assyrian siege and was miraculously cured of a lethal illness, Babylon, the empire to succeed Assyria, will vanquish his dynasty and take the people into exile. If that’s not bad enough, the hitherto noble king, comforts himself with the news that this won’t happen until he is long dead.

Act Two begins with a brilliant explosion of good news: “Comfort, comfort my people,” says Israel’s God—judgment has run its course, warfare has ended; sin is forgiven. The Hebrew word for “comfort” is “nacham” and has two meanings, depending on how it is used. Either way, it denotes change. It could mean “to relent,” a change of intention—one plan of action replacing another. The meaning in this context, however, is “to comfort” or “to be comforted”—an emotional change, where one feels a certain way, usually bad, and is consoled, shifting their outlook on life.

Against the backdrop of despair and cynicism is the promise of comfort. The diagnosis was devastating, the sickness far worse than imagined. Under normal circumstances, such a road leads to nothing but complete destruction. But not in this case—not as far as God’s people are concerned. The God of unconditional covenant love always has a positive future in mind for his precious people in spite of relatively short-term hardship.

Israel’s desperate plight at the end of Act One typifies our own day in many ways. In spite of previously unknown levels of affluence and the exceptional quality of life experienced by so many, societal and personal darkness pervades. From old and new terminal illnesses to political instability to grand-scale people displacement, to increasing violence, and the threat of nuclear annihilation, one little spark can set the entire world ablaze. We are becoming unglued as a cloud of meaninglessness and hopelessness saturates the global psyche. What’s the point of being human anyway?

God’s word to Israel was that the day was coming when their suffering would cease, creation would be renewed, and peace would reign forever. The Jewish people’s incessant angst and anguish would finally and forever be transformed, when chaos turns to order, destruction to rebuilding, sickness to health, death to life. Therefore, be comforted. The darkness will not last forever. Light will not only return but will never fade again.

These words of comfort are not for Israel alone. God’s heart for the Jewish people as expressed at this stage in their history is a reflection of his desire for all peoples. Every human being has a story like Israel, albeit with a different cast of characters and unique sub-plots. Yet, whatever our heritage, the human story is the same: tragically dark and often hopeless, especially if we are honest. Yet, like Israel, your story needn’t end there. With God, there’s a second Act for you too.

You may have thought that your story ends with Act One. You may think there’s nothing beyond the darkness of your life. Or, like Hezekiah, you comfort yourself with short-term vision, making the best of your situation. “It could be worse,” you say. Yet you know if you would look beyond yourself, you couldn’t handle the state of the world.

But the story isn’t over. God will come through. He has proven that through the resurrection of the Messiah. You may already believe this even though you have a hard time being comforted. It might be that you are still stuck at the end of Act One, thinking in spite of your claim to faith, darkness has the final word after all.

Excuse me while I flick off and on the lights. Intermission is over! There’s more to your story, because there is  more to God’s story. Not only does he win in the end, he invites you to be part of it. Perhaps that’s your problem. All the while you have been sitting in the audience when you are cast as a star in the show. You don’t only get to be part of the grand conclusion, you have an essential role to play.

I understand why you are sitting there. Life has been so painful and so confusing. You have tried to comfort yourself to no avail. But that’s the problem. Right now, God wants to heal and restore you. And he will if you cooperate with him. You will be comforted, once you allow him to comfort you on his terms.

Scriptures taken from the English Standard Version

D’varim
Torah: D’varim/Deuteronomy 1:1 – 3:22
Haftarah: Isaiah 1:1-27
Originally posted the week of August 2, 2014 / 6 Av 5774 (revised)

See, I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession of the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their offspring after them. (D’varim/Deuteronomy 1:8)

When reading the Bible, it doesn’t take too long to discover that its predominant context is the people of Israel in the Land of Israel. That context doesn’t simply function as a backdrop for the Bible’s overall story; it’s a crucial aspect of it. God’s endeavor to eradicate evil and its effects upon his creation is based on the outworking of a plan. This plan begins with his calling Abraham to leave his homeland and settle in what was then known as the Land of Canaan (see B’reshit/Genesis 12:1-3). Almost as soon as he arrived, God said to him, “To your offspring I will give this land” (B’reshit/Genesis 12:7). Not only is this promise unconditional, it is also eternal. Soon afterward God added: “For all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever” (B’reshit/Genesis 13:15; see also 17:8). Even though Abraham had many sons besides Isaac (see B’reshit/Genesis 16 & 25:1-6), the promise was passed on to Isaac alone (B’reshit/Genesis 26:3-4). Of Isaac’s two sons, only to Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel (see B’reshit/Genesis 32:28), was the promise of the land given (see B’reshit/Genesis 35:12).

Later, under the covenant God gave to Israel through Moses at Mt. Sinai, Israel’s remaining in the Land was contingent upon their faithfulness to that covenant. Eventually, due to their relentless pursuit of other gods, God sent prophets to warn them that, unless they changed their ways, foreign domination and exile would result. Through the Assyrians and Babylonians, that’s exactly what happened.

But while retention of the Land was an expressed condition of the Sinai covenant, Israel’s claim to the Land was based, as I have already explained, on God’s unconditional, eternal promise to their forefathers. The tension between Israel’s lack of worthiness and God’s unconditional faithfulness through his promise is resolved through the New Covenant (see Jeremiah 31:31-33) as instituted by the Messiah (see Luke 22:20).

Much Christian understanding of the New Covenant assumes that the issue of Israel’s claim to the Land becomes irrelevant. It is thought that the multi-national scope of the community of faith precludes Israel’s nationalistic aspirations. The inclusion of non-Jews as part of the family of God is taken to imply the superiority of a homogenized, generic, spiritual community. Yet knowing that some continuity with God’s ancient plan as outlined in the Hebrew Scriptures must be retained, this quasi-national organization brands itself as “new” or “true” Israel. Detaching what is supposedly higher spiritual values from the lower natural ones, concern over the literal Promised Land, especially with its ancient attachments to the natural descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, is viewed as an archaic throwback to a below-standard epoch.

There are many problems with this approach to Israel and the Land, most importantly that nothing of this sort can be found in the Bible, the New Testament included. If such a redefinition was crucial to the understanding of God’s explicit commitment to Israel through the forefathers, why is it not clearly expounded upon anywhere in Scripture? The Hebrew prophets fully expected that the natural descendants of the people whom they addressed (unfaithful Israel) would one day be fully restored to the Land and to God. Take what God says through Amos for example: “I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them” (Amos 9:15; see also Isaiah 54:7; Jeremiah 30:3; Ezekiel 37:21). Nothing about the coming of the Messiah or the writings of his followers detracts from this expectation. To spiritualize the prophetic literature by twisting its explicit intent undermines the Bible, since so much of its overall message is based on God’s faithfulness to the people of Israel.

Scriptures taken from the English Standard Version