For the week of March 29, 2025 / 29 Adar 5785

Pekudei
Torah: Shemot/Exodus 38:21-40:38; Shemot/Exodus 12:1-20
Haftarah: Ezekiel 45:16 – 46:18; 1 Shmuel/1 Samuel 20:18-42
Originally posted the week of March 12, 2016 / 2 Adar II 5776 (updated)

Then, the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses could not enter the meeting tent because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. (Shemot/Exodus 40:34-35)

Who likes interruptions? We live in a busy world—places to go, things to do. But interruptions are a fact of life these days especially. Phone calls, text messages, social media posts, and emails all vie for our attention. I know we could all do a better job resisting the buzzes and bells of these attention grabbers, but you know how it is.

Some people are better than others at not being interrupted. They are the very focused individuals who are so keenly aware of their responsibilities that nothing will get in the way of their goals—

Hold on, my daughter is texting me. Okay, I’m back. Where was I? Oh yeah, focused individuals—

Focused individuals can be so good at resisting interruption that they might actually be missing what God is trying to do in their lives. You might wonder how that could be possible. If God is God, then how can he be resisted? We’ll get to that in a minute.

In this week’s Torah portion, God interrupts Moses. After completing the building and setup of the mishkan (English: tabernacle), we read that God’s glory filled it so that it prevented Moses from going into the special tent where he normally met with God. This tangible manifestation of God kept Moses from doing his regular duties.

I imagine most people reading this would consider it amazingly wonderful that God’s presence would be among people in such a spectacular and awesome way. But that’s the perspective of an objective reader. It’s another thing when you are in the middle of it. In Moses’s case, he may not have had much of a choice, but how about when God interrupts our lives in other, not-so-obvious, ways? When great unexpected events happen to us—the kind that has the potential to change the course of our lives completely, what then? I am not saying that every such event is a divine interruption, but I wonder how much we might be missing—or worse—resisting.

The greatest divine interruption in history was the coming of the Messiah Yeshua. God had prepped the Jewish people for centuries for his arrival. By the time he came, messianic expectation in Israel was at a fever pitch. As he began to teach and perform signs and wonders, crowds of people started to wonder if he might indeed be “the One.” The leadership was hesitant, just as established leadership tends to be. But then, most of the leadership became more than hesitant. They became outright resistant, hostile, in fact. Even though they were the ones who had taught the people about the Messiah in the first place, he was interrupting their lives by not doing things exactly as they expected. They had successfully built a community of survival within a very oppressive society and were legitimately afraid that change would undermine their rule. Therefore, interruptions could not be tolerated. They may not have been conscious of how much their insistence on staying on course blinded them to God to the extent that most of them failed to see that the Messiah was in their midst.

This should be a great warning to us all. These leaders, for the most part, acted out of a good motive as they sought to fulfill their God-given responsibilities. But if experts and keeners, out of their earnestness, could resist a divine interruption, how much more could we? Do we think we are not susceptible to being so focused on our agendas, plans, and ways of doing things that we wouldn’t completely ignore God when he shows up?

This is not to say that every interruption in our lives is from God and should be wholeheartedly embraced. But let’s be careful that in our desire to stay focused, we don’t miss how God might be trying to get through to us.

Scriptures taken from the English Standard Version

For the week of March 22, 2025 / 22 Adar 5785

Vayakhel & Parah
Torah: Shemot/Exodus 35:1 – 38:20; B’midbar/Numbers 19:1-22
Haftarah: Ezekiel 36:16-38

Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord GOD, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:22-26)

This week’s special reading from the prophet Ezekiel foretold a miracle of which we are witnesses today: the return of the Jewish people to the land of Israel. It grieves me to no end to think of how many people cannot see this wonder. Age-old prejudice, historical theological misrepresentation, and misguided social justice ideologies have obscured what are perhaps the most remarkable developments in history. That the Jewish people have survived at all—empire after empire, devastation and exile, not just once— is noteworthy. Contrary to popular misconception, through the centuries, there was always a small, virtually powerless remnant who remained in our God-given land, while the majority of the nation lived throughout the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe and eventually the Americas and elsewhere, where some longed for the day of return, promised by Ezekiel and others.

But return we have. When the British took over responsibility for what was then known as Mandatory Palestine, there were about 60,000 Jewish residents. Despite facing existential threats from its founding until now, the Jewish population of Israel today is over seven million. That’s about 11,567% growth! . Half of the world’s Jewish population lives in our ancient homeland today and is perhaps one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse societies on the planet. Despite propaganda to the contrary, Israel is a religiously and culturally pluralistic society in one of the most intolerant and dangerous regions of the world. It is also a hub of innovation in various areas, including agriculture and health.

Some might point out, however, that Ezekiel isn’t simply speaking about unusual political and cultural events, remarkable as they are, but also about a spiritual awakening among the Jewish people. Yet, just as many are oblivious to the remarkable nature of the return to the Land, there is a lack of awareness of God’s transformative work among us. I do not think it is a coincidence that the emergence of what was then known as the Hebrew Christian movement in the 1800s coincided with Restorationism, later named Zionism. Then, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, a great number of Jewish young people came to believe in Yeshua as Messiah, this time along with an earnest desire to retain our Jewish distinctive. It is not far fetched to connect this with the surprising repossession of the Old City of Jerusalem and the acquisition of biblical Judea and Samaria in 1967.

While many ignore God’s current, multi-faceted workings among his ancient covenant people, others miss the intents of his heart by insisting on their particular preset formulas. They claim that God won’t or can’t do this or that with the Jewish people unless this or that happens first. Tell me, how much of the Bible do we need to read before we realize that God isn’t constrained by our systems? The power of the Good News of the Messiah is for the Jews first and foremost. It always was and always will be. Let’s pray and act, expecting to see God’s word through Ezekiel fully fulfilled in our day.

Scriptures taken from the English Standard Version

For the week of March 15, 2025 / 15 Adar 5785

Ki Tissa
Torah: Shemot/Exodus 30:11 – 34:35
Haftarah: 1 Melachim / 1 Kings 18:1-39
Originally posted the week of February 27, 2021 / 15 Adar 5781 (revised)

And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this? (Esther 4:14)

These are the words spoken by Mordecai to his cousin Esther, who had been selected queen of Persia after the former queen had been deposed due to insubordination. Only God knew the circumstances that Esther, Mordecai, and the rest of the Jewish people in Persia would find themselves in. At some point after Esther’s installation, the king promoted Haman to the highest bureaucratic position. One of Haman’s perks was that people were to display deference towards him whenever he passed by, which everyone did, except for Mordecai. This infuriated Haman to the extent that he wanted to put not only Mordecai to death but also all of Mordecai’s people—the Jewish people.

Before this, Mordecai instructed Esther not to make her Jewishness known. But now, realizing by God’s providence she was in a place of influence, he sent a message to her entreating her to approach the king on her people’s behalf. It was obvious, at least to Mordecai, that God’s hand was at work in Esther’s becoming queen, and he helped her to see that perhaps she had come to her role in the kingdom for such a time as this.

As readers of this story, what Mordecai discerned about Esther’s role is obvious. Of course, we also have the benefit of knowing the rest of the story. Anyone who approached the king uninvited would be killed unless the king extended his scepter to that person, a risk Esther decided to take. Not only did the king extend his scepter to her, Haman’s devilish plot was exposed, and the Jewish people overcame another existential threat. This is why we celebrate the festival of Purim (this year: Thursday evening, March 13).

I don’t know how many people find themselves in such a position. After all, this is an extreme case, both in terms of the threat and the unusual place that Esther found herself in. I hope that if I were in such a unique position to help, I too would be willing to do what Esther did.

But how about when the situation isn’t as dramatic as this, when the place in which we find ourselves isn’t as obvious as it was to Mordecai? What about when life seems normal: family, work, home, school—day in, day out, same old, same old—what about then? Could it be that wherever we may be and whatever we may be doing, opportunities for which we are uniquely positioned are staring at us, but we are distracted by normal? What if we were more aware of what is really going on around us? What would happen if we were more sensitive to the Lord’s promptings? Maybe life wouldn’t seem so normal most of the time.

And what if we are not in normal times? We live in a world troubled by a great deal of social and political challenges. Yet many are just trying to cope, waiting for this to all be over. But what are you waiting for? This might be your time.

Esther’s initial reaction to Mordecai was “What can I do?” seeing that she hadn’t been summoned to the king in a while. However, she wasn’t in her position simply to accept the way things were, but rather to risk her life to make a difference. She needed to challenge the status quo and put herself in a dangerous situation to bring about the essential change.

This is not the time to sit back and do nothing. You may believe you don’t have any other option. That’s never the case with the God of Israel. What you might be called to do may not have the same impact as what Esther did, but you’ll never know until you are willing to step out in that direction. It might be nothing more than a phone call or an email. But as God leads you, there’s no telling the difference you might make. Perhaps this is your time.

Scriptures taken from the English Standard Version

For the week of March 8, 2025 / 8 Adar 5785

T’tzavveh & Zachor
Torah: Shemot/Exodus 27:20 – 30:10; D’varim/Deuteronomy 25:17-19
Haftarah: 1 Shmuel/1 Samuel 15:2-34

Thus says the LORD of hosts, “I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.” (1 Shmuel/1 Samuel 15:2-3)

The Haftarah, the selection from the Hebrew prophets, is special for the Shabbat that precedes Purim, the festival of Esther, which begins this year on the evening of March 13. This selection was likely chosen because the villain of the Purim story, Haman, was a descendant of the Amalekite king Agag, who is mentioned in the Haftarah, 1 Shmuel/1 Samuel 15:2–34.

God, through the prophet Shmuel, directed King Shaul (Saul) to destroy the people of Amalek because of their treatment of the people of Israel generations before when they journeyed from Egypt to the Promised Land. God clearly stated that every Amalekite and their animals were to be completely wiped out. God deemed Shaul’s failure to do so as an act of rebellion against him, resulting in God’s rejecting Shaul.

Many people, among them those who claim to adhere to the Bible, find God’s judgment of the Amalekites highly distasteful. A popular book that deals with aspects of Scripture many find abhorrent is Is God a Moral Monster?: Making Sense of the Old Testament God by Paul Copan. Without going into its details, note how the book’s title presupposes that the intended reader regards the God of Hebrew Scripture as a most distasteful character and one who is so very different from how he is depicted in the New Covenant Scriptures (New Testament). This supposed contrast is often regarded as so great that he is often thought of as an altogether different god.

It is common to resolve discomfort over God’s harsh actions in the Hebrew Scriptures by emphasizing his more lovable attributes and showing how they are consistent with the New Covenant Writings. While that is valid to some extent, it ignores that God also enacts harsh judgment in the New Covenant Writings. For example, in Luke chapter thirteen, some people mention to Yeshua the Roman governor’s horrific killing of certain Galileans. Here’s the Messiah’s response:

“Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:2-5).

This is far from the stereotypical, patting-kids-on-the-head, meek-and-mild Jesus many prefer. Another time, he warned his followers, saying:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’” (Matthew 7:21–23).

Or how about when God killed two people simply for pretending they were more generous than they really were (see Acts 5:1–11)? Don’t get me wrong. I in no way want to minimize God’s overwhelmingly merciful and loving character as is wonderfully demonstrated throughout the entire Bible. But to claim that the harsh judgment toward the Amalekites is limited to a pre-messianic version of the God of Israel is to completely ignore what God thinks about evil.

To overemphasize God’s love to the point that we ignore evil’s consequences not only misrepresents his character, it helps no one. The sacrifice of the Messiah on behalf of lost humanity is an inexpressible demonstration of love beyond comprehension. Yet, it cannot be adequately appreciated unless it’s presented against the backdrop of God’s hatred of evil. Saul/Paul effectively expressed the proper biblical balance in his first recorded sermon to an entirely non-Jewish audience in Athens:

The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead (Acts 17:30-31).

Judgment is coming. What happened to the Amalekites should motivate everyone everywhere to repent before it’s too late.

Scriptures taken from the English Standard Version