Messiah follower, do we pass judgement on those who worship idols while trusting in our own intellect, physical strength, talents, finances, emotional intelligence, qualifications, righteousness? If so, we are hypocrites and idolaters. Introduction:
As is the case with all of Hebrew Scripture, there are no chapter breaks in the scroll of the 12 Prophets in which Hosea is located. It’s important to see the text of this chapter as a continuation of the previous chapter: “They return not to the most High: they have become like a slackened bow: their princes will fall by the sword from the rage of their tongue: this stammering derision in the land Egypt.” -Hosea 7:16 1“Put a shofar (ram’s horn) to your mouth! Kanesher Like an eagle al upon beit YHVH the house of the Lord (Mercy) Ya’an because averu the people have passed over, alienated veriytiy My covenant (cutting agreement), ve’al and against Toratiy My Torah Instruction pashau rebelled. “Put the shofar to your mouth” is an instruction to the prophet Hosea. He is to blow the shofar (ram’s horn) with the wind (ruach) of the Holy Spirit in him. The mouth denotes both intimacy and proclamation. The shofar (Gen. 22) represents the voice of the Ram of God (Yeshua the King Messiah), Who is the Word (Ha-Davar) essence, the substance of God and the testimony of Yeshua is the spirit of prophecy (Rev. 19:10). It is interesting to compare a similar phrasing spoken to Yishayahu (Isaiah): “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a shofar, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.” -Isaiah 58:1 “Ram’s horn” (shofar) is often blown as a warning (Joel 2:1; Amos 3:6) and is also associated with the giving of the Torah (Ex. 19:16) [poignant given the accusation concerning rejection of Torah in verses 1 & 11], the jubilee (Lev. 25:9), war & miracles (Jos. 6:4; Jdg. 6:34; 7:8) etc. And finds its true origin in the “binding of Isaac” (Gen. 22). Meaning that at its root it is the sound of redemption. Rashi understands this verse to carry the same meaning as that of Isaiah 58:1. “The Shechinah says to the prophet: Let the voice of your palate be heard, and call like a shophar, and say: You enemies! Fly and hasten as the eagle swoops and come to the house of the Lord. To your palate a shophar, it is as though a shophar is placed to your palate. [after Jonathan]” -Rashi “Like an eagle upon the house of the LORD” “behold, as an eagle flies, so shall a king with his army come up and encamp against the house of the sanctuary of the Lord.” -Targum Yonatan The eagle is a bird of prey and is used as a figure for invading rulers and their empires (Eze. 17:3; Deut. 28:49). This is misinterpreted by the majority of Christian scholars as referring to the Assyrian invasion. This cannot be the case because the Assyrians did not take Jerusalem and defile the Temple (House of the LORD). The rabbinical interpretation rightly concludes that this is prophetic of the Babylonian invasion when Nebuchadnezzar (Ezekiel 17) would destroy the Temple in 586 BCE. Therefore, the warning reaches beyond the exile of the northern tribes to the exile of all Israel including Judah and Benjamin. “And say, ‘Thus says the LORD GOD; A great eagle with great wings, long winged, full of feathers, which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar:” -Ezekiel 17:3 All this had been long since prophesied over Israel’s disobedience: “The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;” -Deuteronomy 28:49 “because the people have passed over, alienated My covenant, and against My Torah Instruction rebelled.” The reason for the warning is that Israel (the northern tribes) have ignored the covenant they have with YHVH (made at Sinai) and have wilfully rebelled against the Torah Instruction of YHVH. “Pasha” a Hebrew word for sin means “to miss the mark” and at its root denotes rebellion born of idolatry. This is significant because the beginning of this chapter addresses with warning the idolatry of the previous chapter. 2 Liy To Me Yisrael (overcome in God) yizaku cries, ‘Elohay My God, yeda’anucha we know You!’ The northern tribes claim to call on God as “My God”, “Our God”, but they do so while calling on many gods and while rejecting YHVH’s covenant and wilfully turning from his Torah. To this hypocrisy they add the self-incriminating phrase “we know you” denoting intimate knowledge of God. This is vile for two reasons, first, God has offered Israel faithful intimacy and they have spurned Him, and second, they have been consistently intimate with false gods, prostituting themselves before His face. The Targum Yonatan interprets this as temporary, situational confession from the lips of the unrepentant: "in every time that distress comes upon them, they pray before me, and say, now we know that we have no God besides thee; redeem us, for we are thy people Israel;'' -Targum Yonatan Rav Shaul the Shaliach (Apostle) writes concerning hypocritical “Messianic Gentiles” who acted in a similar way. These gentile believers were demanding that other gentiles be circumcised in the flesh contrary to Shaul’s (Paul’s) teaching (Philippians 3). This same gentile circumcision cult were claiming to teach the things of God and to know God, but were in themselves detestable, disobedient, and worthless in God’s sight. “10 For there are many rebellious people, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, 11 who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of [h]dishonest gain. 12 One of them, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13 This testimony is true. For this reason reprimand them severely so that they may be sound in the faith, 14 not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth. 15 To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. 16 They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.” -Titus 1:10-16 (NIV) Amos, another contemporary of Hosea, makes it clear that while Israel was claiming to Know YHVH she was practicing flagrant idolatry (Amos 2:4, 7-8; 3:14; 5:26). 3 Zanach Yisrael Israel has cast off, spurned, rejected tov good; oyeiyv an enemy yirdefov will pursue him. “Israel has cast off, spurned, rejected good;” Good is not just a reference to a distinction in circumstance or flavour. Good is defined by the character of God. This is why Yeshua said “Why do you call me good, no one is good but God alone.” (Matt. 19:17; Mark 10:18). Therefore, this opening phrase is the poetic couplet which correlates to “rebelled against My Torah” (v.1). Some of our ancient rabbis rightly interpret this as “Israel has cast off and rejected God (Good Himself).” “an enemy will pursue him.” This correlates to the “eagle” who is to come against all Israel including Judah and Benjamin. In fact there is a progression of eagles through Assyria (against the northern tribes) and on to Babylon (taking Judah and Benjamin into exile). 4 Heim They himlichu have set up kings ve’lo mimeniy that did not come from Me; heisiyru they appointed princes ve’lo yadaetiy not known by Me. Kaspam With silver uzehavam and gold asu they make lahem for themselves atzabiym idols/images lema’an for the purpose of yikareit cutting themselves off. “They have set up kings that did not come from Me” “They” refers to the northern tribes and the “kings” are all the kings of the north from Jeroboam I onward. Jeroboam I having set the stage for the idolatry of the north by setting up the calf idols of Bethel and Dan (1 Kings 12:25-33). The evidence that the kings did not “come from” (were not established) by God is manifest in their idolatrous and unrepentant behaviour. This is not to say that God was not in control but that He allowed their disobedience for a greater redemptive purpose. Jeroboam I was allowed by the will of God to become king of the northern tribes, but was nonetheless crowned by the people without the express instruction of God, and without His counsel being sought by either rulers or people. God allowed but did not consent to the crowning of Jeroboam I. Therefore, the appointment of Jeroboam I was on the heads of the people themselves. Many of Jeroboam’s (I) successors were conspirators, who set themselves up without the consent of either God or the people of the northern tribes. They plotted to overthrow others, and reigned after slaughtering them. This is true of Shallum, Menahem, Pekah, and Hoshea (the king, not the prophet). Further still, the people of Israel had no right to choose a king for themselves; the right belonged to God alone; it was He that chose and appointed the kings of all Israel (Deut. 17:15): Saul, David, and Solomon, were all chosen and appointed by YHVH (1 Samuel 10:24). The people of the north brought curse on all the kings of the northern tribes through their rejection of the line of David. By rejecting the throne of David they rejected the greater Son of David, the King Who was to come, the King Messiah. “What share do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse; To your tents, Israel! Now look after your own house, David!” -1 Kings 12:16 (NIV) Jeroboam I had built up Shechem as his residence. Thus the connection to the rebuke of Hosea levelled against those practicing acts of perversity on their way to Shechem (Hosea 6:9). “they appointed princes not known by Me” Here “known” does not negate knowledge of the princes, rather it reveals the fact that there was not an intimate connection between them and YHVH as there had been with Solomon and David. The key is that the princes were “appointed” by apostate people and not by God. “With silver and gold they make for themselves idols/images for the purpose of cutting themselves off.” Their idolatry results in self-harm. Practically speaking idolatry makes waste of things which God has purposed for use while turning useful things into waste. Isaiah another contemporary of Hosea, says: “They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, and hire a goldsmith; and he makes it a god: they fall down, yes, they worship.” -Isaiah 46:6 5 Zanach Cast off, reject, spurn egleich your calf-idol Shomeron (Samaria, guarding/watch mountain) [alt. “Your calf-idol has been cast off Samaria” or "Your calf has cast you off"]! Charah Fury burns apiy in My nostrils bam against them. Ad-matay How long will they lo yuchelu refuse to overcome nikayon with innocence? “Cast off, reject, spurn your calf-idol Samaria!” This connects the apostate kingship of the north through Jeroboam I to the calf idols established by him in the territory of Samaria in the towns of Bethel and Dan (1 Kings 12:28-33). It is worth noting that upon setting up these calf idols Jeroboam I had spoken the same words Aaron had spoken when setting up the calf deity at Sinai. “So the king Jeroboam I consulted, and he made two golden calves; and he said to the people, ‘It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt.’” -1 Kings 12:28 This can be read as “Your calf-idol has been cast off Samaria” or "Your calf has cast you off" Kimkhi and Ben Melekh understand this to mean that the false god has left the northern tribes in the lurch, it has forsaken them, and has removed itself. It can also mean that the calf will be carried away. In fact that is exactly what Hosea prophecies, indicating that the king of Assyria will do so (Hosea 10:5). “Fury burns in My nostrils against them. How long will they refuse to overcome with innocence? The mention of snorting nostrils in the Hebrew denotes intimate fury. There is heartbreak in the expression and a sense of incredulity, though God is not capable of the human response, it is meant to be viewed with incredulity by the hearer/reader. A shocking indictment. Israel, knowing the way of innocence revealed through covenant and Torah, nonetheless wilfully refuse it to their own harm. 6 Kiy For miYisrael from Israel vehu charash asahu he (the calf idol) is made by a craftsman; ve’lo and it is not elohiym a god/judge. Hu he (the calf idol) kiy-shevaviym will be splintered, powdered yihyeh it will happen egel to that calf of Shomeron (Samaria, guarding/watch mountain). “For it was Israel’s doing; It was only made by a joiner, It is not a god. No, the calf of Samaria shall be reduced to splinters!” -Hosea 8: 6 Sefaria translation “For from Israel he (the calf idol) is made by a craftsman.” This is an important phrase which emphasizes the fact that the calf idol is not an assimilated deity from the Canaanites or from other foreign cults but is an invention of Israel, from Sinai to Samaria (Bethel and Dan) the calf idol is the sole responsibility of Israel. The idea for the calf idol may have originally been borrowed from the Egyptians who had a cult that worshipped a living ox or cow, however the allusion here is to the fact that it was gold and silver of Israel moulded by a member of the northern tribes that was crafted into the calf idols of Bethel and Dan. With prophetic irony the calf idol of which Jeroboam I had said “behold your gods…” is called “not a god!” “he (the calf idol) will be splintered, it will happen to that calf of Shomeron (Samaria, guarding/watch mountain).” The calf idol, not a god, will provide no protection, it will not guard the mountain of guardians (Shomeron), it will be splintered like a breaking beam, pulverised into powder. The commentator Yarchi says that in ancient Aramaic (Syriac) “shevaviym” signifies, beams, planks, and boards, and pieces of them falling as dust. The Targum and Ben Meleckh agree in accordance with rabbinical teaching. The inference being that the calf idol of Samaria will be ground to fine dust and the northern tribes made to drink it mixed with water just as the golden calf was ground to powder by Moses, and all those who sinned in it were made to drink the powder mixed with water. The symbolism of the act conveys the reality that idolatry is self-harm. 7 “Kiy For ruach a wind yizrau they have sown vesufatah and a whirlwind yiktzoru they will reap. Kamah eiyn-lo The standing grain does not tzemach bud, fruit; beliy wearing out it will not ya’aseh produce kemach flour. Ulay ya’aseh If perhaps it yields grain, zariym strangers yivlahu would swallow it down. “For a wind they have sown and a whirlwind they will reap.” The wind produced by the voice of idolatrous worship has reaped the much greater whirlwind of God’s prophetic judgement at the hand of Assyria and then Babylon. “The standing grain does not bud, fruit; wearing out it will not produce flour.” The grain barely grew tall enough to produce ears sufficient for grinding flour. “If perhaps it yields grain, strangers would swallow it down.” Even if the crop were to produce grain the tribes of the north will not consume it, rather it will be eaten by the invading armies of Assyria. 8 Nivla Yisrael (overcomes in God/the Judge) is swallowed up; now she hayu has become bagoyim in the nations kichliy like a vessel eiyn-chefetz none delight in. Like swallowed grain Israel (northern tribes) will be swallowed up by the invading Assyrian armies. As a result of her exile she will become known among the nations as a worthless vessel, a jug with cracks in it, a tool with a blunt edge, without value, devoid of purpose, and without place. 9 Kiy For they have alu gone up to Ashur (Assyria, a step) pere a wild donkey bodeid wandering alone. Efrayim (doubly fruitful) hitnu has hired herself out ahaviym to lovers. A wild donkey wanders aimlessly and is vulnerable as prey to lions. The kings (Ephraim) of the northern tribes have sought help from the Assyrians, paying them tribute (Menachem 2 kings 15:19, Hoshea 2 Kings 17:3) and courting their power like prostitutes trying to sleep their way to a position of higher social status and strength. 10 Gam Also kiy because yitnu they have hired themselves out bagoyim in the nations, now akabetzem they gather together. Vayacheilu and defile, pollute themselves me’at becoming a little thing mimasa from the burden Melekh of a king sariym of princes. The gathering of the northern tribes refers to them being gathered for captivity. They intensify the fruit of their idolatrous sin and as a result are weakened and become subject to a king who is over many princes (an allusion to the king of Assyria Isaiah 10:8). 11 “Kiy-hirbah For Efrayim mizbechot has made many altars lachato for sin (offerings), hayu-lo which have become mizbechot altars lachato for sinning. The northern kings, first inspired by Jeroboam’s (I) idolatrous act (calf idols), have syncretised the practice of sin offerings from the Torah with the altars of false gods and the worship of the calf idols. Thus the offerings that might have covered their sin have in fact become additional sin of an abhorrent nature. How many “altars”, both physical and metaphorical, have been built in “Church” communities throughout the world? Altars built as places to repent and receive forgiveness for sin by connecting to the Gospel message, that have instead been turned into altars of sinful practice. The list is long: · “Church” Buildings costing millions, while the people of the community struggle for work and the sick and poor go unaided · Popular “Christian” music proliferated and profited from by secular record companies that own smaller “Christian” record labels. The money of believer’s being used to fund immoral secular agendas · Famous pastors, prophets, authors and worship leaders, followed as heroes to the point of idolatry · “Christian” psychology intended to help and mature believers, nonetheless fallen prey to secular psychological philosophies that contradict and distort the message of Scripture. Places where people come for help from godly men and women who should be pointing them to God’s strength in their time of need, but instead encourage them to trust in their own mental strength, and promise the self-empowerment to overcome (that empowerment being from the poisoned well of secular self-help doctrines · The list goes on and on… 12 Echtov-lo I wrote for them kemov-ribov the many things Toratiy of my Instruction (Torah), zar nechshavu but they thought of them as a foreign thing. Here God refers to His Torah which Israel had treated like the spiritual writings of another people, written in a foreign language, an alien thing that had no connection to them. They had spurned the love letter of the Creator to His creation, given to and through the nation Whom He had chosen and called to be a light to others. “I constantly reprimand them through My prophets, and write for them the great things of My Law, but they are considered a strange thing.” -Rashi 13 Zivcheiy They offer sacrifices havhavay as gifts to Me, yizbechu they sacrifice vasar flesh vayocheilu and they eat it, YHVH (Mercy) the Lord lo does not ratzam accept them. The offered sacrifices may have included offerings which were to be eaten only by the priests (Levites)[Lev. 6:24-26]. These offerings were apparently being eaten by those who should not eat them. Additionally it is possible that the priests were acting in a similar way to the sons of Eli, taking the fat that should have been burned as the LORD’s portion, and instead eating it themselves (1 Samuel 2:15-17). Of course, the priests of the north included men from tribes other than Levi, meaning that all offerings brought to God by them were apostate based on the requirements of the Torah. Ultimately, the reason the offerings were not accepted was because there was no genuine repentance, no real willingness to obey YHVH. “21 This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices and eat flesh. 22 For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them on the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. 23 But this is [h]what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you shall walk [i]entirely in the way which I command you, so that it may go well for you.’ 24 Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked by their own advice and in the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and they [j]went backward and not forward.” -Jeremiah 7:21-24 (NIV) Now yizkor he will remember avonam their perverse depravities. Veyifkod and visit chatotam their sins (missing the mark, uncleanness, offenses) upon them: Hemah They yashuvu Mitzrayim will return to Egypt (double distress). God is just and must punish perversity. The disobedience of Israel will result in a return to bondage (Egypt) for the purpose of discipline and return to God. 14 Vayishkach Yisrael And Israel (overcomes in God/the Judge) has forgotten, ignored, wilfully turned from et-Oseihu their specific Maker vayiven and built heiychalot temples (to false gods); The Targum reads “and built temples to idols”. No one forgets a lover except by wilful avoidance. Israel had turned her back on her Husband (YHVH), Who was also her Creator. Like an adulterous and hateful wife she had sought other lovers (idolatry). Israel (the northern tribes) had sought strength in other gods (idolatry). Y’hudah (praise) hirbah has become great, multiplying ariym betzurot fenced cities (excitement). Veshilachtiy-eish But I will send fire be’arayv in his cities ve’achelah and devour armenoteyah the palaces.” Where Israel (the northern tribes) had sought strength in other gods (idolatry), Judah had trusted in his own strength (idolatry). But fire from God would devour them and burn away the weak strength of those temporary things they had trusted in. Historically speaking Jerusalem would be burned by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon (Jeremiah 52:13). Messiah follower, do we pass judgement on those who worship idols while trusting in our own intellect, physical strength, talents, finances, emotional intelligence, qualifications, righteousness? If so, we are hypocrites and idolaters. Copyright 2021 Yaakov Brown “One person esteems one day over another while another judges every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes that day does so to the Lord. The one who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and the one who abstains, abstains to the Lord, and he gives thanks to God.” “One person esteems one day over another while another judges every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes that day does so to the Lord. The one who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and the one who abstains, abstains to the Lord, and he gives thanks to God.” –Romans 14:5-6 TLV Introduction: At this time of year the inevitable Christmas objectors rear their ugly heads. Being a Jewish Messiah follower and spiritual leader, and given my clear teaching in refutation of the “Pagan Christmas” lie, I usually receive a number of angry messages and or responses to posts on the subject. These messages are full of twentieth century evidence (not evidence at all), emotionalism and personal attacks and the majority of the reactionary messages are from pseudo learned so called “Messianic Gentiles”. The Messianic movement has now been so heavily inundated with hyper-law keeping Gentiles that it no longer truly represents the Jewish followers of Yeshua. As Messiah following Jews we are appalled at the nonsense taught by many Messianic Gentiles and some Messianic Jewish leaders, who do not represent the freedom we have found in Yeshua but rather, are teaching as the laws of God, the doctrines of human beings, flesh born, unspiritual. As a result of the demise of the genuine Jewish Messianic movement, our congregation now call ourselves “Messiah following” rather than “Messianic”. This is a decision made to clearly distinguish ourselves from the foolish teaching of so many. I am bemused by the hypocrisy which has developed among hyper-law communities. I have heard them denounce the Talmud for being myth and conjecture, uninspired and full of made up stories and flawed theology, while they themselves teach as truth that which is not true. Christians have their Talmud, full of rapture theory, love languages, self-help, misinterpretation. So too do Hebrew roots groups, and Messianics, with their anti-birthday, anti-Christmas, everyone must keep Sabbath, we are the true called out Church nonsense. How ironic that the Messianic anti-Christmas movement, which prides itself on living a faith that is connected to Hebrew roots and consistent with the Jewish Messiah Yeshua, has nonetheless taken its que for the denigration of Christmas from a gentile protestant. The anti-Christmas movement essentially began in the eighteenth century CE, 1500 years after Christians began to celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December. The anti-Catholic German protestant Paul Ernst Jablonski (1693-1757) attempted, through pseudo scholarly works (1743), to prove that December 25 was somehow pagan and therefore Christmas was a pagan celebration and Catholicism is heretical. His facts were false and his conclusions error but his work tickled the ears of protestants and puritans (a subgroup), the majority of whom hated the Catholic Church. Thus, out of hatred for Catholicism, and not from Scripture, the “modern” anti-Christmas movement was born. It has ebbed and flowed through the last two centuries and has now found new proponents among the Messianic movement. Rather than actually looking to the Scripture, and Jewish roots of our Jewish faith, we have taken the word of a man who based his theories on false facts, a Gentile no less, and have concluded that it is Jewish to be anti-Christmas. Actually, it couldn’t be more goyish (Gentile). The truth is that for the most part modern Jews could care less about Christmas because 13.7 million of us believe Jesus to be a false demi-god of a Gentile religion that has nothing to do with our faith. Therefore, as a people and a religion Jews have little interest in being anti-Christmas. But, for the Messiah following Jews of the first century the celebration of the birth of Yeshua had everything to do with being Jewish and with the redemption of Israel (so not remotely pagan, in fact, the opposite). Several years ago, one of the beautiful ironies at work to refute the now metastasised anti-Christmas sentiment, was that at least one of the most common objections to the celebration of Christmas (it shouldn’t be celebrated on a date when a pagan deity was worshipped), was made impotent by the date of the Jewish observance of Chanukah (Rededication), which began on Christmas day, the 25th of December 2017. In 2017 the lunar Calendar of Israel coincided with the Gregorian calendar so that the 25th of Kislev and the 25th of December (a so called pagan date) became the same day. The primary reason that I continue to speak out against the demonizing of Christmas, is the demoralizing effect that anti-Christmas sentiment has had on the community of believers (Ecclesia). I come across this message of bondage far too frequently among the wandering masses of Christianity, who, disillusioned with the shallow nature of their own faith, seek depth at the feet of pseudo-learned lay people and worse, professed Messianic Jewish Rabbis, many of whom dine on a steady diet of conspiracy theory, YouTube Bible teaching and conjecture. My hope is that the following article will equip you for the practise of freedom in Messiah. A key aspect of the faith that has been sadly neglected by the para-church swing back to bondage on the rebound from hyper-grace. It has become more and more clear that in recent times the gift of the Holy Spirit most lacking in the western Ecclesia (Church) is that of discernment. I am consistently told by certain Messianic extremists that I should not celebrate Christmas, worship on Sundays, use the name “Jesus,” etc. Though it must be said they are entirely misinformed regarding Christmas and the use of the name Jesus and fail to understand that all days belong to God; the more poignant issue is this, that they are so busy telling others what they shouldn’t do, that they are unable to articulate the freedom, wonders and depth of faith found in a Messiah essential Messianic Jewish Tradition. What’s more, the same celebrate extra Biblical festivals and break numerous other commands of Torah on a daily basis and are therefore, the greatest of hypocrites. When we define ourselves by what we are not, we are repeating the error of our forebears both Jewish and Christian. Those we seek as converts to our way of thinking are instantly disillusioned, in our zeal we turn them away from the beauty and traditions we might otherwise have positively offered them. Often our fierce words of rebuke are based on poor historical knowledge, misinterpretation of Scripture, inaccuracies and myth; passed on by lazy teachers and blinded guides. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.” Mattitiyahu/Matthew 23:14-16 This is not who we are, it is who we were, before we met Messiah, but now, in Him, we are to be a light to the nations. It is time to stem the flow of darkness that is issuing from our mouths. We are, “A royal priesthood, a Holy nation, a people belonging to G-d. That we might declare the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His wonderful light.” 1 Kefa/Peter 2:9 If we continually define ourselves by what we are not, we will inevitably forget who we are. Anti-Christmas Sentiment is Anti-Christ It’s interesting to note that the list of Christmas objectors includes the Mormons, Jehovah’s witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, Muslims, Conspiracy theorists, Hebrew roots groups, Messianic believers and atheists, among others. “those who celebrate Christmas do not honor God or Christ, but honor pagan celebrations and pagan gods.” –The Watchtower Magazine (JW) Dec. 8 1988 (pg.19) We must ask, why are cults and atheists some of the strongest opponents of Christmas? What is it that they share in common? There is one unifying answer, every pseudo Christian cult and atheist group agree on one thing, that Yeshua (Jesus) is not God with us (Imanu-El). “Do not be deceived, evil communication (bad company) corrupts good character” -1 Corinthians 15:33 (The Bible) The deity of Messiah is first revealed on earth in the Christmas narrative (Historical record: Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 2:1-7). His divine conception and His lineage are first illuminated in the Christmas accounts. To neglect the celebration and remembrance of the Christmas story is a means of cutting off the truth of Messiah’s divinity and His legitimate human lineage at its root, thus supporting the Satanic claims that Yeshua (Jesus) is just a man and at the same time does not qualify to be Israel’s Messiah. This is a direct attack on Messiah, the Christ, and is at its heart driven by a spirit of anti-Christ. Refuting Common Objections to Christmas First, let me repeat that generally speaking Jews do not object to Christians celebrating Christmas because for the most part Jews do not accept Jesus (Yeshua) as Messiah. Therefore, from their perspective Christmas is simply the religious practice of the Gentile Western world. So who are these people within the faith community who are objecting to the celebration of Christmas? They are for the most part, disillusioned Christians, who, with great pride, claim to be Messianic. They are not Jews but they are Judaizers and because of their devote observance of human rules, consider themselves more righteous than the so called, “Apostate Church” they claim to have separated themselves from. As a Jew I find this extremely offensive because they are not only misrepresenting the message of the Messiah but they are also pretending to observe Jewish practices and thus often appear to be representing the Jewish view. They do not represent the Jewish view, nor do they represent the Messianic Jewish view. They simply represent themselves and their own confused attempts to earn God. A Response to Some of the Most Common Objections to Christmas Some popular false claims regarding supposed Christmas syncretism with false gods: Even if it were true that false deities were worshipped in similar ways to Yeshua prior to His birth, this does not detract from Yeshua Who is all existing and therefore pre-existed all these false deities (John 1:1). Nor does performing miracles equate false gods and holy men to Yeshua. The Bible teaches that the Anti-Messiah will perform miracles in an attempt to fool the elect (2 Thessalonians 2:9). The misuse of something does not define its intended purpose! A counterfeit does not delegitimize the real thing. Nor does it matter on which day Yeshua was born or if other deities were worshipped on that day. All days were created by God for His glory. Again, the misuse of a thing does not define its intended purpose! 1.Christmas is Pagan. This generalisation is lazy and intellectually dishonest as well as being an oxymoron (self-contradicting). In fact Christmas is the name of a Judeo-Christian celebration of the birth of Christ (Messiah). The name Christmas is a contraction made up of two words: Christ and mas. Christ comes from the Greek Khristos and means anointed one, it was intended by the Jewish New Testament writers to convey the Hebrew title Mashiyach, which is often translated Messiah, both titles represent the anointed one of God, Who would be born into time and space to deliver His people Israel. So I guess you could say the first part of the name Christmas is pretty much Jewish. Mass: the English term mass comes from the Anglo-Saxon word maesse, which came from the Latin missa, which is a form of the verb mittere, which means "to send." In Hebrew we would use the term neshlach—to send. Therefore the meaning of Christmas is, “Christ is sent,” or Mashiyach neshlach—Messiah is sent. In truth, the two concepts of anointing and sending are rooted deeply in Judaism and help make Christmas—in my opinion—as much a Jewish Holiday as Purim and Chanukah. So, is Christmas Pagan? Well, the name certainly isn’t. Some say that the celebration of Christmas is part of a Satanic agenda. To the contrary, to be anti (Christmas) Christ being sent is more Satanic than all the so called pagan links to Christmas put together. If there is a Satanic (Pagan) agenda at work, it is the agenda that seeks to silence the celebrating of the birth of our Messiah: it’s literally an anti-Christ agenda. I wish you a hearty, “Chag Sameach le’Mashiyach neshlach!” and a, “Chag Ha-molad Sameach!” Christ = Messiah & mas (Sent) Christmas = Messiah is Sent 2.The date of Christmas is a day on which pagan deities were worshipped. Therefore, Messianic believers shouldn’t celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December. As clearly shown in my previous tables regarding the supposed correlation between false gods and Yeshua (Jesus), the majority of the proposed pagan deity connections to the 25th of December are false. In addition, we have the following: The god Tammuz was celebrated in February, March, April, June and July. The “Wailing of Tammuz” was celebrated at the end of summer long before the winter solstice. Saturnalia was celebrated from 17 – 23 December, not 25 December. And then there’s the false claim that Christmas borrows from Natalis Sol Invictus (Birth of the Unconquerable Son) an addition to the Emperor cult syncretized from paganism. Natalis Sol Invictus is celebrated on the 25th December (4th century), however… While Aurelian made Sol Invictus an official religion in Rome in 274 CE, the December 25 connection to the religion is a later syncretism between Sol Invictus and Saturnalia that did not exist in the third century CE. The earliest reference to this pagan celebration on the 25th December is written by Macrobius Theodosius in the 4th century CE [j]. The Christian author Hippolytus of Rome (170-235 CE) writing prior to 235 CE suggested that Yeshua (Jesus) was born on December 25. [k] Therefore, according to the known historical record, the first Christian reference to a December 25th date for Messiah’s birth predates the pagan Sol Invictus celebration by over a hundred years. The only conclusion is that the Emperor of Rome borrowed from the Christian practice in order to syncretize the pagan practice, and not the other way around. Put simply. Christians used the 25th of December prior to the Natalis Sol Invictus cult. Pagans adopted our date. The logic of this objection is that any day used to worship a false god should not be used to worship the one true God. Nonsense! Prior to the giving of the Torah and the moedim (festivals) of HaShem at Sinai, Israel was under bondage in a land where the Sun deity Ra-Atum was worshipped every morning at dawn and every evening at sundown (365 days a year). Using the foolish logic of those who claim pagan deities defile days, every one of HaShem’s moedim (festivals) should not be celebrated because they fall on days when the pagan deity Ra-Atum was worshipped. Who made the days? On which of the days should the God of Israel not be worshipped? We are fools to argue over the keeping of days while worshiping the One Who is beyond days. The One Who formed each day for His glory. In the midst of all the rhetoric and conspiracy allegations aimed at the Gentile Church fathers of the 2nd Century regarding the so called pagan date of the 25th of December. Few Christmas objectors have bothered to consider the fact that the authentic fathers of the Church were Jews who lived over 100 years before the first records indicating syncretism, and would have been eager to celebrate the birth of the Jewish Messiah on a regular basis in a Jewish way and for at least 100 years, free from Gentile interference. In fact the Jews have an intrinsic connection to the date of the 25th of December. Every four years or so Chanukah coincides with the 25th of December. In fact, last year in 2017 the first day of Chanukah 25th of Kislev coincided with the 25th of December. Those who claim that pagan connections to this date make the day unsuitable must either denounce Chanukah (A festival Yeshua venerated) or simply admit that they are in grave error. Given that we have no way of knowing when Messiah was born either from Biblical or Historical record, who’s to say that the 25th of December is the wrong date? We don’t know the date, therefore we contradict ourselves by saying that the 25th is the wrong date. Consider this, the 25th of Kislev of the Biblical lunar calendar of Israel which begins Chanukah (A festival of light/dedication) coincides with the 25th of December of the Gregorian Solar calendar on a regular cycle. Therefore, if we are bound by conjecture, as so many anti-Christmas proponents are, we may as well conjecture that it is equally likely that the date of Christmas was simply transitioned from one calendar to another and that early Messianic Jews celebrated the birth of Yeshua (The Light of the World Who rededicated Israel to God) during the festival of Chanukah. Which, as we know, is in the winter months and regularly coincides with Christmas. 3. Yeshua (Jesus) said, "Remember my death until I come", therefore, we should not celebrate Christmas. The logic here is, that anything not explicitly commanded in Scripture should not be observed. This flawed logic makes a negative commandment out of a positive commandment. It is a self-defeating premise because Messiah’s death cannot be remembered without His birth into time and space. Yeshua Himself observed Chanukah (John 10:22-41), a festival that is not commanded in Scripture. If we pursue the foolish logic of this objection, we must also cease to celebrate Purim, Chanukah, the Torah cycle, the resurrection, and the miracles of the Messiah. Therefore, if we fail to acknowledge the Messiah’s literal birth into the world we make His life and ministry redundant. An instruction to remember something does not negate the remembrance of other things. 4.Christians and Messianics shouldn’t celebrate Messiah’s birth because birthday celebration is pagan. Ancient Pagans celebrated weddings too, should we no longer celebrate weddings? The false Canaanite deity Shalem is said to have been worshipped on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem (Yebus) thousands of years before Solomon’s Temple was built there.[l] Does this mean the Temple Mount is Pagan? By applying the logic that we should do nothing that pagans do, we must also cease drinking water, procreating, even breathing. Did Joseph and Mary not celebrate the birth of Yeshua? They did, are they pagan? Did the Jewish shepherds of the Migdal Eder (Temple flock) not celebrate Yeshua’s birth? They did, are we to call them pagan? Were the gifts of the magi not celebratory? If they were considered pagan, why did Joseph and Mary allow them to be presented to Yeshua? Some go so far as to suggest that Jews don’t celebrate birthdays. What nonsense, they have obviously spent little time around Jews. Furthermore, Jews have honoured and celebrated birthdays from ancient times. Within the Tanakh (OT) there are numerous examples of the births of children being celebrated. One of the ways the birth of Jewish children is celebrated both in the Scripture and in modern Jewish life is with the naming ceremony, called a Brit Milah for Jewish boys (circumcision), and held eight days after the birth. The births of children are honoured throughout Scripture by placing a God given name on the child and/or choosing a name that expressed the character attributes exhibited by the child through the pregnancy and in the birthing process (Gen. 25:24-26; ). Hence, Yeshua (YHVH Saves)! One of the most famous Messianic prophecies of Isaiah is in fact a birthday celebration song: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given to us, and the government will be upon His shoulder. His Name will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God My Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace. 6 Of the increase of His government and shalom there will be no end-- on the throne of David and over His kingdom-- to establish it and uphold it through justice and righteousness from now until forevermore. The zeal of Adonai-Tzva’ot will accomplish this.” -Isaiah 9:5-6 5.Yeshua (Jesus) wasn't born during the Christmas season, He was born during Sukkot (Festival of Booths). No, there isn’t any conclusive way to determine the day or season of Messiah’s birth. We simply don’t have historical information that enables us to make an accurate assessment concerning the time of His birth. Those who presume to know are reliant on conjecture born from theological niceties and presumption. Am I saying Messiah was born on the 25th of December? Certainly not. Does it matter which day He was born? Given the lack of Biblical evidence citing exact dates and times for His birth I would hazard a guess that God doesn't want us to know the date or season of His Son’s birth. He probably has a very good reason for this. Learn to embrace the mystery of God, you don’t need to know everything, knowledge puffs up but love builds up. With regard to the “Sukkot birth” claim, the census recorded in Luke 2:1-4 was the first of two, taken between 1 C.E. and 7 C.E. (It’s the latter of the two that is referred to in Acts 5:37). While Quirinius was not physically governing in Syria until 6 C.E., he was responsible for the oversight of its operations and defence under Varus, during Herod’s reign. It’s important to remember that for the people of Israel, a census was considered an affront to God. The taking of a census denoted a lack of trust in God’s provision. This census therefore, was something they were forced to participate in under an oppressive Roman occupation. (See Exodus 30:12; 2 Samuel 24). Beit-lechem (Bethlehem) is approximately 8 kilometres from Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) and approximately 136 kilometres from Natzeret (Nazareth) in the Galil (Galilee). Given that a majority of governors over the province of Philistia (Occupied Israel) were keen to avoid further uprisings and the causes for them, it is unlikely that a census would have been called during an Regalim (going up) festival of Israel (Pesach, Shavuot, Sukkot). In addition, a Jew could not be both in his ancestral town and in Yerushalayim at the same time. While Beit-lechem was close to Yerushalayim, the majority of Israel’s outer communities were more than two days journey from Yerushalayim, where the Temple stood. This is just one of many reasons why a Sukkot birth for Messiah is extremely unlikely. In fact all of the Regalim festivals fall into this category. Therefore, it is more likely that Yeshua was born in the winter months. Some misuse the following verse, claiming it proves a Sukkot birth: “Now in the sixth month the messenger Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth,” –Luke 1:26 There has been much needless conjecture relating to this text. Many who are desperate to claim a Sukkot birth for Messiah need to perform linguistic, contextual, chronological and cultural gymnastics—to name a few—in order to manipulate this date to fit their argument, something every good Bible student knows, is usually an indication that we’re headed in the wrong direction. It’s most likely that this “sixth month” refers to the time as counted from the conception of Yochanan (see verse 36), the problem with confirming the date this way is that we don’t know which of the two times of year that Aviyah’s (Zechariah’s clan) division was serving is intended by the narrative. We’re not told at what point during the year that the 24 divisions began to serve but we can presume that they began in the seventh month, Tishrei, following the inauguration of Solomon’s temple. If this continued to be the practice and providing the beginning of their service was not initiated at the spiritual new year of Pesach or at the giving of the Torah during Shavuot (Which are also possibilities [even if this were the case the math still wouldn’t conclude a Sukkot birth]), then we would calculate that each of the 24 divisions would serve one week twice a year. If they performed their duties in order of selection, Aviyah’s (Zechariah’s clan) division would have performed its duties eighth, in the last week of Nisan and the last week of Cheshvan, with some anomalies caused by the lunar calendar this will have varied slightly. If we count from Nisan, the sixth month would be Tishrei. If this is the month of Messiah’s conception then He was born in the month of Sivan. If we count from Cheshvan we arrive at Iyar, which makes Messiah’s birth in the eleventh month of the Hebrew Calendar, Shevat. Neither date is even remotely close to Sukkot. However, the sixth month could also refer to the sixth month of the Hebrew calendar Elul, which is the month prior to Tishrei, which again leaves us with Iyar as a possible birth date for Messiah. Additionally because Luke is either a Greek proselyte or a Jew from the Greek Diaspora, he could also be referring to the sixth month of the Roman calendar. Regardless, any conclusion arrived at is pure conjecture. We have no definitive way of knowing when Yeshua was born. Some say, “But He was born dwell with us, and John 1:14 says that He became flesh and sukkot (dwelt) in our midst.” But the text of John 1:14 does not say that Messiah Sukkot with us, but that He Shakhan (from Mishkan) came as flesh, as a Tabernacle in our midst. Meaning, He was a human being Who was like the Tent of meeting (Mishkan) which once dwelt in the midst of Israel. Shakhan is the Hebrew equivalent to the Greek Skaynoo. Both are verbs and NOT proper nouns. Sukkot is a proper noun that is unrelated to the Hebrew Shakhan. While it is true that Messiah dwells with us, it is not proof of the date or season of His birth. Messiah is also the Lamb of God, that doesn’t mean He was born at Passover. He is the substitutionary sacrifice for our sin, that doesn’t mean He was born during Yom Kippur. 6.The feasts of the Torah were specifically commanded by God but Christmas wasn’t. Therefore Christians and Messianics shouldn’t celebrate Christmas. It’s true, Christmas was not commanded by God: neither were Purim or Chanukah, and yet Yeshua venerated Chanukah and used it as a teaching platform—John 10:22-36. Therefore, based on the foolish logic of this objection, Yeshua sinned because He celebrated a festival that wasn’t specifically commanded by God. Utter nonsense! Some claim that Yeshua’s veneration of Chanukah is an exception because He is God with us, but Yeshua is not the exception, He is the Rule! He is the first-born among many brothers (Rom. 8:29). We are called to be like Him. David was not commanded by God to dance half naked before the Ark of the Covenant—which carried the tablets of stone upon which God had engraved His word—as he brought it into Jerusalem with music and rejoicing. His wife Michal criticized him for His shameless celebrating and as a result the Scripture says that she remained barren until her death. If David danced semi naked in celebration before the written word of God as it entered Jerusalem, how much more should we celebrate with great joy the entry into our world of the living Word Yeshua our Messiah, born of a virgin, born to save us from sin. Though we know not the day, we celebrate Him gladly, lest we become like those who begrudge others their joy and seek to imprison people in the bondage of the past! The warning is clear, we must not become like Michal: perhaps she was physiologically unable to conceive after this event? On the other hand perhaps her husband simply no longer approached her to be sexually intimate with her? Or worse still—and most likely—she may have continued to harden her heart until she no longer wanted to be around David. This is the dangerous road we walk when we neglect grace and follow rules born of the foolish arguments of human beings. When we harden our hearts through jealousy and false religion we become isolated and alone. Like Michal we might find our spiritual womb barren, not because we can’t conceive but rather because we have refused our Husband, whose name is Freedom and in turn have failed to be inseminated by His grace. Don’t let the misconceived theories of the pseudo-learned mislead you. 7.Shepherds in Israel don't tend their sheep in winter, therefore, the shepherds of the Christmas story can't have been tending their flocks in winter. Thus, a December date for Messiah's birth cannot be correct. In fact, Israel’s sheep are shepherded throughout the year including the winter months. Even more importantly, the shepherds of the Christmas story (approx. 3 C.E.) were no ordinary shepherds. It’s an historical fact that there was a tower in close proximity to Beit-lechem, called Eder (flock), around which were pastured the flocks destined for the Temple sacrifices. The group of shepherds in charge of these flocks held a position of great esteem in Israel and were led by a Priest whose role was to ensure the production of unblemished animals that would be offered at the Temple in nearby Yerushalayim. These sheep were needed year round for the Temple sacrifices. Therefore, a winter date for Messiah’s birth is quite possible. 8.Christmas trees are pagan. Are they? It’s true that pagan cultures have venerated trees and worshipped tree deities. However, these were living trees growing outside the home. Furthermore, those that did bring trees into the home or communal space, didn’t use them in the same way that Christmas trees are used today. For example, the yule tide log of the Norse culture was burned in the fire. These pagan examples do not equate to the cutting down of a tree for symbolic use during Christmas celebrations. Some decontextualize and mis-quote the following scripture from Jeremiah: How the Christmas tree objectors read it based on their presupposition: “3 For the religion of these people is worthless. They cut down a tree in the forest, and a craftsman makes it into an idol with his tools. 4 He decorates it with overlays of silver and gold. He uses hammer and nails to fasten it together so that it will not fall over. 5 Such idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field. They cannot talk. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them because they cannot hurt you. And they do not have any power to help you.” What the full text actually says: “3 For the religion of these people is worthless. They cut down a tree in the forest, and a craftsman makes it into an idol with his tools. 4 He decorates it with overlays of silver and gold. He uses hammer and nails to fasten it together so that it will not fall over. 5 Such idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field. They cannot talk. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them because they cannot hurt you. And they do not have any power to help you.” It is not speaking of anything remotely similar to Christmas trees. It is speaking of idols carved from trees and representing false gods. But I ask, “Who came first? The tree or the pagan?” The tree of course. God commands us not to worship objects of creation, he doesn’t tell us not to use them as reminders of Him, in fact God Himself commands the manufacture of Cherubim for the ark of the covenant (Exodus 25:18), and these were symbols of His protection, not to be worshipped but to give a visual understanding to His worshippers. Are trees good or evil? They are neither. Once again, if the use of a thing by pagans makes it sinful then we should also discontinue using oxygen—this might be a good idea for some. I repeat, the misuse of a thing does not define it! Conclusion So we see that for many and varied illegitimate reasons, a number of modern Christians (Hebrew Roots movement) and Messianics (a term that is now so loosely applied that it is unable to identify any one group), have decided not to celebrate Christ-mas (Messiah is sent). This on its own would be of little consequence if they simply chose to celebrate His birth at another time, however in the aftermath of the establishment of this foolish pseudo-learned doctrinal decision, they have ceased celebrating the birth of our Messiah altogether. Like the Separatists of the late 18th &19th centuries, they have become so convinced of their own separation from the Ecclesia [Community of faith] (Viewing themselves as the so called “called out” pure Church/Bride), that they have, in seeking purity through their own actions, become subject again to bondage; forgetting that in Messiah we are not keepers of the Torah but rather we are kept by the Living Torah, Ha-d’var Emet (The Word of Truth) Yeshua, Who, if not for His birth into time and space, could not have been crucified and resurrected, thus leaving us without hope. Therefore, let us celebrate His birth, which illuminates His purpose in being sent, that we might also hope in the future glory purchased for us through His death and resurrection. This year our congregation will once again delight ourselves in remembering the birth of our Messiah Yeshua, each one practicing the Biblical remembrance of Christmas (Messiah is sent) utilizing the symbolism and positive traditions that affirm their own convictions regarding this celebration. We are reminded that every Shabbat we light the candles of Sh’mor (Observance) and Zakhor (Remembrance), therefore we observe the holy day, remembering that Yeshua was born for the purpose of our Salvation (Yeshua). We remember what God has done, what He is doing and what He has promised to do, in Messiah, The Hope of Glory. “One person esteems one day over another while another judges every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes that day does so to the Lord. The one who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and the one who abstains, abstains to the Lord, and he gives thanks to God.” –Romans 14:5-6 TLV As I’ve said before, we are fools to argue over the keeping of days while worshiping the One Who is beyond days. The One Who formed each day for His glory. An Afterthought All our Jewish celebrations and festivals fall into one of two categories. Either they celebrate God’s provision for us or they commemorate His delivering us from our enemies. Christmas is the celebration of God’s greatest provision and the commemoration of the beginning of our eternal deliverance. Thus it qualifies as one of the most important Jewish celebrations of all time. If it were possible to be dull in the Olam Haba (World to come), I’m inclined to believe that those who argue against the celebration of Christmas will be wandering around the new Jerusalem debating whether we should celebrate Messiah’s return. After all, it’s not commanded in the Torah. Wake up sleeper! Sources: [a.] Vermaseren, M. J. (1951). "The miraculous Birth of Mithras". In Gerevich, László (ed.). Studia Archaeologica. Brill. pp. 93–109. Retrieved 4 October 2011. [b.] https://www.ancient.eu/Mithra/ [c.] Ulansey, David (1991). The origins of the Mithraic mysteries. p. 6. ISBN 9780195067880. [d.]https://www.ancient.eu/Horus/#:~:text=The%20elder%20Horus%20is%20one,the%20creation%20of%20the%20world.&text=In%20another%20version%20of%20the,wife%2C%20and%20daughter%20of%20Horus. New York Folklore Society (1973). "New York folklore quarterly". 29. Cornell University Press. p. 294. Ian Shaw (2003). The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-815034-3. Piotr O. Scholz (2001). Eunuchs and castrati: a cultural history. Markus Wiener Publishers. p. 32. ISBN 978-1-55876-201-5. Roy G. Willis (1993). World Mythology. Macmillan. p. 43. ISBN 978-0-8050-2701-3. [e.] https://www.ancient.eu/Horus/ [f.] https://strangenotions.com/horus-manure/ [g.]https://greekgodsandgoddesses.net/gods/dionysus/#:~:text=The%20most%20common%20origin%20given,his%20true%20form%20to%20her.&text=A%20few%20months%20later%2C%20Dionysus%20was%20born%20from%20Zeus's%20thigh. [h.] https://www.greekboston.com/culture/mythology/dionysus/ [i.] https://www.britannica.com/topic/Dionysus [j.] https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ambrosius-Theodosius-Macrobius [k.] https://www.circeinstitute.org/blog/december-25th-day-christ-was-born-8-arguments [l.] https://www.biu.ac.il/JS/rennert/history_2.html NB: In combination with this article, please also consider the articles I’ve written on Luke chapters 1 and 2, and the previous articles I’ve written regarding Christmas: Christmas: An Open Letter to the Haters http://www.bethmelekh.com/yaakovs-blog---14991514148914971493-15131500-1497150615111489/christmas-an-open-letter-to-the-haters This Jew Boy will be Celebrating Christmas on the 25th of December http://www.bethmelekh.com/yaakovs-blog---14991514148914971493-15131500-1497150615111489/this-jew-boy-will-be-celebrating-christmas-on-the-25th-of-december Isaiah 9: For unto us a Child is Born http://www.bethmelekh.com/yaakovs-blog---14991514148914971493-15131500-1497150615111489/isaiah-91-2-6-7-for-unto-us-a-boy-is-born Luke 1:1-38: Choosing Between Disbelief and Wonder http://bethmelekh.weebly.com/yaakovs-blog---14991514148914971493-15131500-1497150615111489/luke-11-38-choosing-between-disbelief-wonder Luke 1:39-80: From Generation to Generation http://bethmelekh.weebly.com/yaakovs-blog---14991514148914971493-15131500-1497150615111489/luke-139-80-ldor-vdor-from-generation-to-generation Luke 2:1-24: G-d’s Plan is not World Peace, it is Peace for the World http://bethmelekh.weebly.com/yaakovs-blog---14991514148914971493-15131500-1497150615111489/luke-21-24-g-ds-plan-is-not-world-peace-its-peace-for-the-world Luke 2:25-52: Hearing About Grace and Favour http://bethmelekh.weebly.com/yaakovs-blog---14991514148914971493-15131500-1497150615111489/luke-225-52-hearing-about-grace-favour © Yaakov Brown 2020 The Love, mercy, grace, and peace of God are offered to all but only those who accept His free gift will receive it. An unwrapped gift cannot be enjoyed, a bride cannot be married until she says “I do”, a woman cannot conceive unless she receives her husband, love cannot exist without freewill, and relational love cannot be experienced unless it is responded to. Therefore, “‘There is no (everlasting) peace, wholeness and well-being,’ says My God, ‘for the wicked’ Introduction:
The former chapter ends with a description of the wicked, lazy, godless false shepherds and rulers of Israel at the time of Isaiah’s prophecy. They are described as drunken fools who are devoid of faith and focused solely on their own unjust gain. They are now starkly contrasted to the righteous who have fallen as a result of the wicked rulers and false shepherds of Israel (Judah). Isa 57:1 Ha-tzadiyk The righteous avad perishes, ve’eiyn and no iysh (man) one sam lays it al upon (within) leiv their core being (heart); ve’ansheiy-chesed merciful men of standing ne’esafiym are taken away (removed), be’eiyn while none meiviyn understand. Kiy-mipeneiy For from before the face ha’ra’ah of the evil ne’esaf ha-tzadiyk the righteous are gathered in, taken away, received; “The righteous die, and no man layeth my fear to heart; and the men who shew mercy are taken away, and they consider not that the righteous are taken away on account of the evil which shall come.” -Targum Yonatan (2nd Century CE) “The righteous perishes, and no one lays it upon (within) their core being (heart)” It seems clear given the context and chronology that righteous Jews living in the midst of their idolatrous countrymen have died as a result of the ungodly rule of the wicked. Specifically the wicked rulers and shepherds of Israel (56:9-12). Therefore, it is members of the righteous remnant that are being referred to. The prophet’s words may well reflect the condition of Judah under the reign of king Manasseh, who is described this way: “Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another.” (2 Kings 21:16). “Merciful men of standing are taken away (removed), while no one understands.” The spiritual condition of Judah (Israel) is so debauched that the people barely pay attention to the deaths of the righteous, nor are they able to do the spiritual math and see that this is a sign of how low they have sunk into idolatry and lewdness. The Hebrew “ansheiy” refers not just to men but to men of standing, respected and righteous men who are leaders of the community. We note that the Targum reads, “no man layeth my fear to heart.” This correlates to the idea that those who resist God’s love often choose to celebrate the death of His servants: “and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth.” -Revelation 11:10 (ESV) King David’s response to the loss of the godly is the right response, and an example to all: “Save, O LORD, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.” -Psalm 12:1 He rightly understands that the death of the righteous is an indictment against a community, and at its extension, an indictment against humanity. Therefore, he cries out to the Lord for salvation. At the time of Isaiah’s prophecy Judah (Israel) did not follow the good example of David because unlike David the rulers and shepherds of Judah (Israel) were unrepentant and had forsaken God’s Torah, and instead had turned to numbing themselves with debauchery in the worship of false gods. “For from before the face of the evil the righteous are gathered in, taken away, received;” This is an explanation of that which the wicked of Israel are unable to understand in their state of spiritual blindness. For the righteous, death is not an end to life but rather a transitional journey into everlasting life. For the wicked on the other hand, death is an end that gives birth to an everlasting second death. Therefore, the death of the righteous is described as an act of God’s mercy. He has taken the righteous away to Gan Eden (Paradise) in order to spare them the face of evil that will come against the wicked in this temporal sin affected world. Something similar is prophesied by Huldah the prophetess concerning the righteous king Josiah: “Therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the disaster that I will bring upon this place.’” And they brought back word to the king.” -2 Kings 22:20 (ESV) In a literal historical sense the evil that is about to come upon Judah (Israel) will come in the form of the Babylonian Empire. Thus, the righteous are being spared from captivity. In a greater spiritual sense the Lord continues to deliver the righteous from the plague of evil that is coming upon the world in these latter days. And, like the spiritually blind Israel of old the present generation is oblivious to both the loss of the righteous and the clear sign that this loss presents regarding the coming destruction and judgement. Isa 57:2 Yavo He has and continues to enter into shalom peace (wholeness, wellbeing); yanuchu they have and continue to rest (remain, dwell) al-mishkevotam upon their beds holeich who walk in ne’chocho straightness, rightness (in front of). “They shall enter into peace; they shall rest in the place of their beds, those that do His law.” -Targum Yonatan (2nd Century CE) “He has and continues to enter into shalom peace (wholeness, wellbeing)” The “He” in this phrase is the righteous, the merciful man of standing. Keep in mind that this follows the perishing (death) of the righteous one. Therefore, the text infers an ongoing existence after death in the afterlife (Gan Eden: Paradise). The Hebrew text informs us that the righteous one has (past tense) and continues to (present tense) enter into Peace, wholeness, and well-being. This is a description of the soul dwelling in spirit with the person of Peace, that is the transcendent resurrected Messiah, the Prince of Peace. This is in keeping with the familiar refrain of the Torah, “He was gathered to his tribe” (Gen.25:8). One asks, given that Abraham died and was gathered to his tribe, where is his tribe, and how is it possible to be gathered to one’s ethnic family after death? The answer is of course found in the teachings of our rabbis and in the mashal of Yeshua concerning Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19-31). Sheol, the place of the departed (not the grave: kever), is divided into Gan Eden (Paradise) and Gehenna (Torment), with an uncrossable chasm between the two. “they have and continue to rest (remain, dwell) upon their beds who walk in straightness, rightness.” The bed is used as a euphemism for the sleep of death. Yeshua used the euphemism sleep to describe temporal death, that is, the first death. It is temporal in the fact that the first death lasts only until the judgement, at which time there is a second death for the wicked but eternal life for the righteous (those made righteous through Messiah Yeshua). The use of “bed” as a euphemism for death is consistent with the use of “sleep” for the same purpose. Both infer a temporal state, one that the sleeper (on his bed) will one day awake from. Thus, both Gan Eden and Gehenna are temporal holding places that will give forth their dead at the judgement, after which the righteous will live in the Olam Haba (world to come) in God’s manifest presence and the wicked will be consigned to the place they have chosen, that is the lake of fire that torments perpetually (Rev. 20:14). We note that it is those whose faith causes them to walk in straightness, which is synonymous with righteousness, who are received to rest in peace upon their beds. “And I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ‘Blessed indeed,’ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!’” -Revelation 14:13 (ESV) The Hebrew “mishkav” translated bed, is an accurate description of the ancient Jewish interment practice of chiselling out rock beds, and cubicles inside caves, and or setting them in man-made tombs (above ground). These acted as the tombs (graves) of those who had passed on. Therefore, unlike the English word “grave” the Hebrew “kever” denotes an above ground interment rather than an under ground burial. Later in the chapter the bed is seen as a convergent euphemism for both adulterous idolatry and death. Isa 57:3 Ve’atem But you (plural), kirvu-heinah draw near, here, now, beneiy sons (children) onenah of a sorceress, zera seed (offspring) me’naeif from an adulterer v’tizneh and a whore (fornicator). “But ye, come nigh hither, people of a generation whose works are evil, whose plant was of a holy plant; but they are adulterers, and fornicators.” Targum Yonatan (2nd Century CE). Now the prophet speaks God’s disciplinary words to the wicked among the people of Judah and Israel. The modern Hebrew convergent phrase for the litany of titles at the end of this verse is “Ben-zonah”, equivalent to “Son of a bitch”, but literally “Son of a whore”. We note that this is a generational indictment. Not only are the generation of Isaiah’s lifetime wicked, they are the children of a wicked generation. “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” -1 Samuel 15:23 The progression of titles is significant:
The children of the sorceress are children of rebellion. Both they and their parents have rebelled against God. The adulterer destroys families. Therefore, the children of the adulterer are those who destroy families through sexual sin. The children of the whore, however, in addition to destroying families, also participates is the ironic and self-defeating act of wasting seed and by aborting (sacrificing) unwanted babies that result from breeches in birth control for the prostitute. This brings blood guilt (murder) on both the prostitute and the one who lies with her. This list of titles and their sins results in a generation that is destroying itself through rebellion toward God. Thus, a loving God has no other option but to discipline His wayward children in order to save them from themselves. A similar indictment is brought against the Church in Thyatira, and serves as a warning to the Church today: “But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.” -Revelation 2:20 (ESV) Isa 57:4 Al-miy Against whom tit’an’agu do you mock? Al-miy Against whom tarchivu do you open wide peh your mouth, ta’ariychu lengthening (sticking out) lashon your tongue? Ha-lo-atem Are you (plural) not yildeiy-fesha children of rebellion (transgression), zera seed (offspring) shaqer of lies, deceit, falsehood. “Against whom do you mock? Against whom do you open wide your mouth, lengthening (sticking out) your tongue? In one sense the text speaks of the wicked who mock the righteous representatives of God and indeed God himself. They ridicule and poke out their tongues. In another sense this could be seen as a description of haughty lasciviousness, sexual foreplay. Finally, there is the figurative application of the mouth and the words that proceed from it. The words of the wicked among Israel are words that produce death in opposition to the Word of life spoken by God’s prophet. The lengthening of the tongue could also be understood as an idiom meaning, to use language as a means of deception. “Are you (plural) not children of rebellion (transgression), seed (offspring) of lies, deceit, falsehood.” The title “Children of rebellion” is the other part of the couplet to verse 3’s sorceress. Likewise “Seed of lies” relates to the adulteress and the whore. Isa 57:5 Ha’neichamiym You who get hot with lust baeiliym among the terebinth trees (gods, idols, judges), tachat under kol-eitz ra’anan every green tree, shochateiy who slaughter ha-yladiym the children banechaliym in the valleys, tachat under se’ifeiy clefts ha-selaiym in the rock? “Who worship idols beneath every green tree, who sacrifice the children in the valleys under the clefts of the rocks.” -Targum Yonatan (2nd Century CE) “Terebinth trees” The terebinth was the chief tree in Canaanite pagan worship, and is possibly the tree associated with the worship of Ashteret. The Ashterot poles/idols were possibly carved from the terebinth. “In the valleys” probably refers to the Hinnom and Kidron in particular. The Hinnom valley is a known location for child sacrifice to the false Canaanite horned bull deity Moloch, aka Molech. Sexual perversion and the sacrifice of children on pagan altars was common practice among the Canaanites whom HaShem had commanded the Israelites to remove from the land. Instead, the generations pursuant to Israel’s coming into the land became seduced by the women of the land and fell into worship of the false gods of Canaan. Sacred prostitutes acted as priestesses and priests of deities such as Ashteret, the Canaanite equivalent to Aphrodite (the Greek godess of love, sex, beauty and fertility). The cult of Moloch demanded the sacrifice of children and was practised by king Manasseh in the Valley of Hinnom below Mount Zion surrounding Jerusalem from west to south (2 Chronicles 33:6). The valley of Hinnom is used as a figure for the holding place of torment known as Gehinnom or Gehenna. However, the current reference to child sacrifice also specifies the location “under the clefts of the rock” which is an allusion to the high place sacrifices made to the Ba’aliym (Husbands, masters, false deities). It is likely that both forms of pagan sacrifice are being referred to. Isa 57:6 Bechalkeiy-nachal Among the smooth stones of the wadi (torrent valley, stream bed) chelkeich is your portion; heim, heim they, they, goraleich are your lot (dice, chance pebbles); gam-lahem shafacht also to them you have poured out nesech a drink he’eliyt offering (ascending), minchah a grain offering, tribute, sacrifice. Ha-al eileh enacheim Am I supposed to relent, regret, be comforted by, console Myself, repent because of these things? “Among the smooth stones of the wadi (torrent valley, stream bed) is your portion” Stones made smooth by the swift current of water that flooded the valleys were often anointed with oil and became objects of pagan worship upon which tribute was left and sacrifices were made. “they, are your lot” This can be understood to refer to either a portion inherited or a chance devise. The commentator Yarchi suggests that the very stones used in pagan worship will be used to stone to death their worshippers. This is certainly an accurate picture of the nature of sinful action. In one sense all idolatry is self-abuse. The use of the Hebrew “minchah” meaning, offering or grain offering, one specifically associated with the worship of HaShem; denotes a syncretistic practice that makes these actions all the more abhorrent. “Am I supposed to relent, regret, be comforted by, console Myself, repent because of these things?” HaShem asks this incredulous rhetorical question as a challenge to the idolatrous Israelites (Judean’s). The Holy God of creation could neither be comforted nor offer consolation in response to such lewd and perverted pagan practices. According to the above explanation regarding the Hebrew minchah, it is more than likely that the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judea may well have been syncretising these practises with their worship of HaShem, making their sin all the more heinous. It is worth noting that the practises of pagans are intrinsically linked to demons, and ultimately to Ha-Satan (The Devil). “They sacrificed to demons, a non-god, gods they had not known-- to new ones who came in lately, ones your fathers had not dreaded.” -Deuteronomy 32:17 (TLV) “No, I’m saying that what the pagans sacrifice is to demons and not to God, and I don’t want you to become partners with demons.” -1 Corinthians 10:20 (TLV) Isa 57:7 Al Upon har-gavah ve’nisa a high (exalted) and lofty mountain samt mishkaveich you have set your bed, gam-sham also there aliyt you went up lizboach to slaughter zavach an animal (blood) sacrifice. Ancient pagan worship made sacred places out of high mountains and hills. Some of the righteous kings of Israel removed the objects of worship used on these high places but many others allowed Israel to syncretise its worship of YHVH with the worship of other deities on the mountains and hills of Israel. This is to be considered the gravest of abominations. “You have set your bed” Is a convergent euphemism. It combines the sexual immorality of pagan worship with the death bed that results. In effect the simple statement “You have set your bed also there” infers that the bed of adultery and idolatry set on the high place for all to see, will also become the bed on which the dead idolater lies in full view of everyone. Isa 57:8 Ve’achar And behind ha-delet the door ve’hamezuzah and the mezuzah (container holding the promises of God: Deut. 6:4-9 and 11:13-21) on the doorpost samt you have set zichroneich up your remembrances; kiy for, mei’itiy from Me, giliyt you have uncovered your bed, vata’aliy and have gone up from Me, hirchavt widening mishkaveich your bed; vatichrat-lach mei’em and you have cut off a piece of (made a covenant for) yourself with them, ahavat you have loved mishkavam their bed, yad a penis (figurative use of yad: hand) chaziyt you looked upon. “Behind the doors and the posts hast thou set up the remembrance of thy idols; thou hast been like a woman who is beloved by her husband, but goeth astray after strangers; thou hast enlarged thy bed: thou hast made a covenant with some of them, thou loved the place, the place of their beds, the place thou hast chosen.” -Targum Yonatan (2nd Century CE). “And behind the door and the mezuzah on the doorpost you have set up your remembrances;” This is a description of syncretism. Idolatrous Jews were placing the charms of other deities under the mezuzot on the doors of their houses. This is significant given that Hashem had commanded Israel to write His word on the doorposts of their houses. The mezuzah has the Hebrew character Shin on it to remind the home owner that El Shaddai the all sufficient protector of Israel guards the home and equally, that His shalom is on the home of the true worshipper of Hashem. Thus, instead of the protection and peace of Hashem the Jews of the time were invoking protection from other gods, gods that could never protect them, gods that would in reality, bring about their destruction. “for, from Me, you have uncovered your bed, and have gone up from Me, widening your bed;” This is the figure of a spurned husband whose wife is an adulteress. She leaves her husband’s bed in order to sleep with not one but many lovers. Thus, “widening your bed”. “and you have cut off a piece of (made a covenant for) yourself with them, you have loved their beds, yad a penis (figurative use of yad: hand) you looked upon.” This is a description of the height of lewdness and unabashed perversion. The euphemistic use of the Hebrew “yad” seeks to expose the depths of depravity reached by the idolatrous. The yad (hand, penis) may also be representative of the Ashterot poles, and or the trees of pagan worship. This correlates to earlier references concerning Israel’s “burning with lust under every green tree.” “Cut off a piece of yourself” refers to the practise of self-harm as it applies to pagan worship. The tragic irony of the idolatrous practises of the Jews of Isaiah’s time is that the covenants of God (with the exception of circumcision) shed the blood of animals as a prefigure of the vicarious sacrifice of the Messiah, whereas the demonic pagan practise required an individual to harm themselves in order to enter into covenant (a binding) relationship with the cold deities of stone and wood. This binding agreement made in the blood of the worshipper had significant spiritual consequences, none of them good. Isa 57:9 Va’tashuriy You travelled lamelekh to the king bashemen with oil va’tarbiy and a great amount rikuchayich of your perfumes; vateshalechiy you sent tzirayich your envoys ad-meirachok to far off distant lands, vatashpiyliy to be humbled, abased, made low ad-sheol even (as far as) the place of the departed. It is suggested by some that “lamelekh” can be understood to be “lamoloch” thus rendering the proper noun of the false god of the Canaanites. Of course devoid of the nikudot of the Masorites the text can be understood to refer to either the king of a foreign land or the god Moloch. The Moloch reading is consistent with worship practices associated to it, which are alluded to in the subsequent list of oils and perfumes. However, it is equally likely that the king described is Ahaz, who sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser, the king of Assyria, to say to Him, “I am thy servant and thy son.” Ahaz took the silver and gold that were in the house of YHVH, and in the treasures of the palace, and sent a bribe to the king of Assyria (2 Kings 16:7, 10). Whatever the meaning, the motivation is the same. In each instance Israel is seeking comfort and protection from a king other than the King of the Universe HaShem, the God and King of Israel. “you sent your envoys to far off distant lands, to be humbled, abased, made low even (as far as) the place of the departed.” King Ahaz of Israel did this very thing. However, this could also be interpreted to mean that by going in search of the gods of far off lands Israel has instead found humiliation (through captivity) and sheol (the place of the departed) by dying in captivity. Isa 57:10 Berov darkeich yaga’at Abundant were your ways (paths, roads) that wearied you, lo-amart but you didn’t say, “Utter despair (No hope)”; chayat yadeich matzat your hand (penis) has found living al-kein upon it therefore, lo chaliyt you were not faint. In spite of the exhaustion the idolatrous experienced as a result of their pursuit of false gods, they did not give up and acknowledge that there was no hope in the pagan religions. The latter phrasing describes the temporary delight of engaging in sexual immorality, something that the rebellious children of Judah and Israel had pursued with all their might without growing faint. The Hebrew “yad” is again used in an ambiguous way to figuratively represent a phallus. Alternate interpretations see the latter clause as representing unjust gain: "the necessity of thine hands, thou hast found prosperity in thy works:'' -Yarchi Isa 57:11 Ve’et-miy da’agt Whom did you dread vatire’iy and fear, kiy techazeiviy when you lay down, ve’otiy-lo zachart and did not remember Me, lo-samt nor did you lay it al-libeich upon your core being (heart)? Ha-lo aniy Have I not machsheh umeiolam kept silent perpetually, ve’otiy lo tiyraiy and you do not fear, revere Me (hold Me in awe)? “And of whom hast thou been afraid? and on account of whom hast thou feared? Thou hast surely multiplied speaking lies, and thou hast not remembered my service, and hast not had my fear in thine heart: I would have given you the ends of the world, if you had returned to my law; but thou hast not returned to me.” -Targum Yonatan (2nd Century CE) This verse sums up the previous indictments. Israel, and specifically Judah has rejected God and His Torah, His love and protection. Rather than stand in awe of God and in fear of His just punishment of sin, Israel (Judah) has given Him no second thought as they have pursued the depraved gods of the Canaanites and of the surrounding nations. HaShem has kept silent in the sense that He has not yet put upon Israel the discipline she deserves. He has given her an opportunity to conclude for herself the need to return to Him, and yet she has refused to the point of disregarding Him altogether. “The apostate Israelites took the silence of their God for indifference rather than attribute it to His longsuffering.” -Victor Buksbazen Isa 57:12 Aniy I agiyd will declare (make known) tzidkateich your righteousness ve’et-ma’asayich and your deeds, ve’lo yoiyluch and they will not profit you. “So be it” says HaShem. “I will declare your (version) of righteousness”, which will be seen for the profitless wickedness that it actually is. Isa 57:13 Be’za’akeich When you cry out, yatziyluch kibbutzayich let your assembled heap (of idols) deliver you! Ve’et But the kulam lot of them yisa-ruach will be carried away by a wind, yikach-havel their breath taken away. Ve’hachoseh viy But he who seeks refuge in Me yinchal-eretz will inherit (possess) the land ve’yiyrash and will inherit (take possession of) Har-Kadshiy My holy mountain. Judah (Israel) had chosen to trust in false, demonic deities. Now, when they cry out to the One true God for help He will respond by telling them to seek help from their worthless husbands (gods) whom they had chased after through their adulterous behaviour, having rejected their true Husband HaShem. Even in this we see mercy. HaShem will not allow the total annihilation of His people. This is an act of discipline. The loving father withholds help when that help is nothing more than an act of enabling. “But he who seeks refuge in Me will inherit (possess) the land and will inherit (take possession of) My holy mountain.” HaShem never leaves the faithful without the hope and assurance of his promised inheritance. While the majority of Israel had rejected God, there remained a righteous remnant: many of whom were referred to in the previous chapter, some of whom were proselytes. In the midst of Judah’s coming suffering and exile, God was reminding the faithful that He would bring them into their inheritance in the land of Israel and further still, they would inherit that which is unpurchaseable by human beings, the very dwelling place, and manifest presence of God Himself, that is, the Temple Mount, Mount Zion, Har Beit, Mount Moriah. Isa 57:14 Ve’amar And say, “Solu-solu Lift up, lift up, panu-darech turn toward the way, hariymu raise michshol every occasion of stumbling miderech from the way of amiy My people.” “And he shall say, Teach and admonish, turn the heart of this people to the right way; remove the stumbling-block of the wicked out of the way of the congregation of my people.” -Targum Yonatan (2nd Century CE) The repetition, as is always the case, denotes the fact that HaShem has firmly established the future removal of all that seeks to get in the way of His relationship with Israel. Prior to Judah’s exile to Babylon, HaShem promotes His redemptive purpose and the restoration of His people. His mercy always precedes His righteous judgement. His discipline is born of His love. While the disobedient children of God see only the disaster that is before them, God sees the goal from the beginning, and bestows hope upon the undeserving. “A voice cries out in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of Adonai, Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley will be lifted up, every mountain and hill made low, the rough ground will be a plain and the rugged terrain smooth. 5 The glory of Adonai will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together.’ For the mouth of Adonai has spoken.” -Isaiah 40:3-5 (TLV) Isa 57:15 For thus says ram ve’nisa the One Who is high and lifted up, shochein ad Who dwells in eternity, ve’kadosh Holy shemo is His Name: “Marom ve’kadush eshkon I dwell in the high and holy place, ve’et and with daka the one of a contrite ushefal-ruach and humble spirit (breath, wind), lehachayot to revive, sustain the life of ruach shefaliym a humble spirit, ulehachayot and to revive leiv the core being (heart) nidkaiym of the contrite ones. “For thus saith the high and lofty One, that dwelleth in the heavens, and whose name is Holy, who inhabits the height — yea, His holy Shekinah hath promised to save the contrite of heart, and the humble of spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to support the heart of the contrite.” -Targum Yonatan (2nd Century CE) The God of Israel is YHVH, He is above the highest heights that the false gods are worshipped on, further still He is eternal, uncreated and the Creator of the heights upon which the false deities of Israel’s folly have been worshipped. He is set apart, Holy beyond all measure, and yet, He is present with the heart (core being) of those who are humble and contrite in spirit. HaShem will sustain and strengthen the core being of the repentant, humble ones who love and honour His Holy Name (person, character, nature). “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.” -Psalm 51:19 (TLV) Isa 57:16 For I will not ariyv contend forever, nor will I always eketzof be angry; kiy-ruach for the spirit milefanay from before My face ya’atof would grow faint (turn away), uneshamot and the soul life breathe that aniy I asiytiy made, fashioned. “For I will not take vengeance of judgment for ever, neither shall my wrath be eternal: for I will revive the spirits of the dead, and the souls I have created.” -Targum Yonatan (2nd Century CE) If God were to remain angry no human being would be able to stand before Him, for all are guilty of sin and have fallen short of His Glory. Therefore, His mercy precedes His judgement so that He might relent and forgive the repentant, humble, contrite of core being (heart). The Hebrew is interesting. Spirit/wind/breath is “ruach”, and soul is “nefesh” meaning the connected elements of human existence in action. However, while God created numerous living things which have spirit (ruach), and living souls (nefesh), including animal life. According to the Genesis creation account, human beings were uniquely created to exist as a convergence of spirit and soul. The Hebrew word used to convey the human spirit/soul convergence is “neshamah”. “And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.” -Matthew 24:22 (ESV) “The elect” of this passage are the Jewish people (ethnic, religious, empirical), the elect (chosen) people of God. Isa 57:17 Ba’avon In the perversity bitzo of his unjust gain katzaftiy I was angry, ve’akeihu and struck him; hastier ve’ektzof I concealed Myself and was angry, vayelech but he went shovav turning back be’derech in the way libo of his own core being (heart). This is a description of the yetzer ha-ra (evil inclination). The fallen nature of human beings means a tendency toward sin (idolatry). Perversity and self-seeking greed are some of the most common manifestations of human sin action. “Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath.” -Psalm 78:38 (ESV) “I concealed Myself and was angry” HaShem cannot be seen by those who refuse to see Him because He has afforded humanity the opportunity to choose Him. Love cannot exist without freewill. Therefore, from the point of view of the suffering wicked, HaShem has concealed Himself, though all things exist and have their being in Him. “but he went turning back in the way of his own core being (heart).” This verse describes a life focused on debauchery and selfish gain followed, not by “teshuva” repentance (turning toward God) but by “shovav” turning away from God. Those being observed here are turning inwardly toward their own fallen nature. They have blinded themselves to their own demise. Therefore, God, Who is merciful, choses to refrain from His righteous anger in order to save idolatrous Israel from herself. Isa 57:18 Derachayv His ways raiytiy I have seen, ve’erpaeihu and I will heal him; veancheihu and I will lead him va’ashaleim and restore (make whole) [alt. through a covenant of peace] nichumiym offer comforts to him lo ve’la’aveilayv and his mourners, “His ways I have seen, and I will heal him” The ways of the wicked have made him ill, or else why does he need healing? Therefore, the compassionate God of Israel seeks to heal the disobedient child. “and I will lead him and restore (make whole) [alt. through a covenant of peace] offer comforts to him and his mourners,” HaShem has seen the way of the wayward. He sees that they have so deluded themselves that they are unable to find restoration. Therefore, God has come to lead the idolatrous and wayward children of Israel out of their self-imposed suffering and into His love and prosperity. He will do this through a covenant of peace, and will provide the redeemed who mourn (with Godly sorrow) their sinful actions (the act of a contrite heart), with comfort. Isa 57:19 Borei creating (from nothing) niyv fruit of sefatayim the lips. Shalom, shalom Peace, peace (wholeness, well-being), larachok to the far velakarov and to the near,” says HaShem (YHVH: Mercy), “Urefativ and I will heal him. “Creating (from nothing) fruit of the lips…” The Hebrew “Borei” signifies the creative expression of God Himself, the root being “bara”, meaning to create from nothing. Thus, the fruit of the lips of this creating are intrinsically connected to the Word of God and the manifest nature of peace, Who is Himself a person, that is the Prince of Peace. “Shalom, shalom Peace, peace (wholeness, well-being), to the far and to the near,’ says HaShem (YHVH: Mercy), ‘and I will heal him.’” The repetition of shalom denotes the firmly established peace, wholeness and well-being imparted by God through the redemptive work of the Prince of Peace (the Servant King Messiah). This peace is being offered to those who are “far off”, that is the Gentiles, and to those who are “near”, that is Israel (ethnic, religious, empirical). The words of Iben Ezra are interesting: “The meaning of the whole verse is: Proclaim, peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him who is near; announce, that the Lord has already saved Israel, because I have indeed healed him.” -Iben Ezra In a very real sense, because God knows the end from the beginning and because the lamb of God has been slain before the foundation of the world, the repentant, righteous remnant of Israel have and will be seen to have been already saved through the Servant King Messiah Who brings peace, wholeness and well-being through His vicarious sacrifice. Isa 57:20 Ve’hareshaiym But the wicked kayam nigrash are like the tossing sea; for it hashkeit lo will neither be silent yuchal or prevail, vayigreshu and its waters meiymayv throw up refesh mud vatiyt and clay. While the righteous of Israel will be delivered, those who are determined to pursue wickedness in spite of God’s loving offer of grace and mercy, will be like a storm tossed sea that is unrelenting in its dredging up of worthless mud and debris: its turmult results in damage and its ferocity wrecks destruction. Therefore, the wicked will destroy themselves. This is an intentional choice to refuse God and His mercy. Isa 57:21 Eiyn shalom There is no peace (wholeness),” says Elohay My God, “le’reshaiym for the wicked.” It is impossible for those who are determined to resist God to receive His peace, wholeness and well-being. Why? The answer is quite simple, love is a choice to commit wholeheartedly to another, though the other might love unconditionally, none the less, if that love is refused it cannot be received. The Love, mercy, grace, and peace of God are offered to all but only those who accept His free gift will receive it. An unwrapped gift cannot be enjoyed, a bride cannot be married until she says “I do”, a woman cannot conceive unless she receives her husband, love cannot exist without freewill, and relational love cannot be experienced unless it is responded to. Therefore, “‘There is no (everlasting) peace, wholeness and well-being,’ says My God, ‘for the wicked’” Notice that while the peace afforded to the righteous is “Shalom, shalom” (v.19), the doubling denoting the fact that it is firmly established, immutable; the peace that the wicked have not received awaits the possibility of repentance: the single use of the word “Shalom” allows for mercy to be offered within time and space. Therefore, up until the wicked persons last breath that person may choose to repent and through the righteousness of the Messiah (Peace Himself), receive “Shalom, shalom”, everlasting peace, wholeness and well-being. Copyright 2019 Yaakov Brown Based on the linguistic and historical evidence and on the admonishment of Scripture, it seems clear that those who claim to be Christians or Jews (religious) who fail to properly qualify their use of the common noun allah or worse still, make the proper noun Allah (As used in the Quran) synonymous with YHVH, are placing themselves in grave spiritual peril. In my recent facebook post concerning my refusal to pray to the Allah of the Quran I said, "No Jacinda Ardern (NZ Prime Minister 2019), I will not answer the call to pray to Allah this Friday"*.
*[Note, "call to pray", "Allah" (as a Proper noun), and "this Friday", all references to Islamic practice]. There are those who have argued that Allah is formed from a common Arabic noun (ilah) comparable to the Hebrew "el" or "elohim" and the English "god". It is true that Arab Christians and Jews appear to have used Allah as a common noun in reference to God prior to the inception of Islam. However, Arab speaking Jews have not, and do not replace the Holy Proper Noun YHVH with the common noun Allah. In addition Allah was also used prior to the inception of Islam to refer to one of a pantheon of pagan deities (360 at one count). The most popular linguistic theory is that Allah is a contraction of the Arabic phrase "al-ilah". The common noun "ilah" being used by ancient Arabic speakers to refer to "a god" and the definite article "al" preceding it. Thus, the translation "the God". This begs the question, "Does a proper noun formed from a common noun, remain a common noun?" The evident contradiction makes the linguistic argument seem somewhat dishonest at best. It is of course, not popular to add the historical fact that Allah (the god) was worshipped in the Ka'ba at Mecca along with a pantheon of gods long before Muhammad chose him as the monotheistic deity of Islam. In fact Muhammad's father Abdullah (Abd "Servant" Allah "of Allah") was an Arab pagan named for one of the gods of the Arab pantheon "Allah". At some point prior to the inception of Islam Allah was associated with the worship of numerous gods like "Hubal, Sin" (moon deities) etc. and is said to have had three daughters, one of which was Allat (A feminine form of Allah: this contradicts the notion that the Arabic word Allah is neuter). Prior to Islam Allah was being worshipped by many throughout the middle east as the chief deity of a pantheon, making him no different in many ways, to Zeus or Odin, or any other chief pagan deity for that matter. Those who advocate for the "Common noun" theory regarding Allah must exercise consistent logic and admit that one cannot say on one hand that Allah is formed of a common noun and therefore maintains its common meaning as God generic, and on the other hand, contrary to their own argument conclude that Allah is also a Proper Noun (As Islam claims). Either Allah is the Proper Noun for God in Arabic and therefore, not synonymous with YHVH (The Proper noun which names the God of the Bible), or Allah is a common noun in Arabic and equally therefore, not synonymous with YHVH. Either way, Allah is not the Personal God of the Bible. To substitute the title Lord for YHVH in English shows respect for the Holy Name, however, to substitute the common term God (el, elohim, allah, Ilah etc.) as a translation of YHVH is blasphemy. The same is true when applied to the Arabic language version of the Bible. There are of course numerous other evidences both archeological and linguistic that prove that Allah was worshipped as one of many other deities in pre-Islamic Arabia (and elsewhere), and it is hard to deny the connection between Allah and the ancient moon deities of the middle east. However, in my recent post I was not referring to the common noun Allah used by Arabic speaking Christians and Jews but rather to the use of Allah as a proper noun and specifically in reference to the Allah of Islam. This is clear by my reference to refusing to "answer the call to pray" which was the Islamic call to prayer (so called), in actual fact it is not an invitation to pray but rather a theological affirmation of faith in the god of the Quran and his prophet Muhammad: something that many Christian leaders tacitly agreed to by standing in quiet submission, or worse, professing Allah (thinking it a generic term for the One God) while this Islamic (not universal) proclamation (not call) was made on mainstream media last week throughout Aotearoa NZ. Regardless of whether the common noun Allah can be used in a generic sense to identify God, the fact remains that the god of the Quran does not equate to the God of the Bible. Anyone of intellectual integrity who takes the time to compare the Holy Bible and the Quran can only conclude that they present two very different and distinct Gods. On this point the majority of Islamic scholars and I agree. To conclude, based on the linguistic and historical evidence and on the admonishment of Scripture, it seems clear that those who claim to be Christians or Jews (religious) who fail to properly qualify their use of the common noun allah or worse still, make the proper noun Allah (As used in the Quran) synonymous with YHVH, are placing themselves in grave spiritual peril. HaShem (YHVH) has said, "I am YHVH, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another or My praise to idols." -Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 42:8 "Be careful to do everything I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips." -Shemot (Exodus) 23:13 -Yaakov Ben Yehoshua © 2019 Yaakov Brown If it seems that G-d is silent in our suffering, it is because He sees a better outcome for us in His stillness than we’re able to see in our turmoil. An examination of 1 Samuel 28:3-21. Introduction: This has been a passage of Scripture that has confused and mislead many. In English it appears to give foundation to the idea of the disquieted, disembodied spirits of human beings returning to earth. In fact the English text (with the exception of the KJV, NKJV and selected literal translations) is sometimes guilty of hiding specific contextual indicators, like the Hebrew, “elohim” and through the theologically selective use of the Hebrew, “yada”, found in the text in the form, “vayda”. Much is presumed by the English reader through no fault of his or her own, however this balloon of presumption is easily deflated by the pin prick of Hebrew simplicity. There are of course Hebrew rabbis and scholars who have made similar errors in understanding this text, therefore we must navigate it carefully and succinctly. The English translations of this text usually leave the reader with some of the following questions:
The serious student will have a wealth of other questions, however the few listed above are sufficient for this study. As we approach this period in Israel’s history and in particular with regard to Saul’s kingship (Israel’s first human king), a number of pivotal events have already taken place:
Each of these foundational elements have worked together to forge Saul’s path to Eyn-dor (Eye of generation). The sum of his sinful decision making processes is the seeking of guidance from Satan (knowingly or unknowingly), via his medium (the witch, necromancer) of Eyn-dor. Text: 1 Samuel 28:3-21. 1Sa 28:3 Now Sh’muel (Hears from G-d, Named by G-d) was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah (High place), even in his own city. And Shaul (asked) had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the magicians, out of the land (ha-aretz: Eretz /Israel). This account begins by reminding the reader that Sh’muel (Samuel), the one who hears from G-d, is dead. Why? As the narrative continues we see that the common theme is Shaul’s (Saul: meaning to asks, inquire) inability to hear from G-d. In the past Sh’muel (Hears from G-d) had been the prophet through whom Shaul had heard G-d’s instructions, now the asking one (Shaul) was unable to hear from the hearing one (Sh’muel). Sh’muel was dead, had been buried and according to Jewish understanding was in Sheol in the Bosom of Avraham. Both Sheol and Shaul (Saul) come from the same Hebrew root word, Sha’al which means, to ask. Sheol, the place of the dead, is never satisfied; therefore it is continually asking for more. Israel had asked for a king in place of G-d (The Sustainer of life) and had received a disobedient man as ruler over them. A man who would bring only death. In this account Shaul, asks in vain for the council of G-d and in the end Sheol asks for Shaul and G-d grants its request. We’re told that Shaul had removed (cut off/killed) from the land of Israel those who had Familiar spirits (demonic forces) and practiced witchcraft (1 Samuel 28:9; Exodus 22:18; Lev. 19:31; 20:6, 27; Deut. 18:10-12). Why are we told this? The text is stressing the fact that Shaul (the enquirer) would have a difficult task searching out someone who practised witchcraft, meaning that he was going to great lengths to pursue practices he knew to be contrary to G-d’s instruction in order to receive direction. In fact he would go to Eyn-dor, a town that Israel did not control, hence he would find himself outside of both personal redemption and national redemption. Shaul was warned against this very thing when Sh’muel rebuked him saying: “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the Word (D’var) of HaShem, He has also rejected your kingship.” –1 Samuel 15:23 In fact this passage is illuminated by the person of Yeshua, the Word (John 1) of G-d. When we reject Yeshua we reject G-d. In doing so, as the Scripture says, we stand, “condemned already” (John 3:18). Familiar spirits are demonic entities that roam and gather information in order to deceive people and gain glory for themselves and the darkness they serve. They are known to select hosts, convincing that person that they are controlling the spirit through witchcraft when in fact it is the spirit that is controlling them. These spirits (Hebrew: shad) are synonymous with false deities sometimes called elohim, the same generic term used for G-d, gods, rulers, angels, judges etc. “They sacrificed unto demons (Hebrew: shade), not to G-d; to gods (elohim) whom they knew not, to new gods (elohim) that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.” –Deuteronomy 32:17 “But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to G-d: and I don’t want you fellowshipping with demons.” –1 Corinthians 10:20 These Familiar spirits/gods are trapped within time and space, having been cast out of the third heaven along with Satan (Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:16-17; Luke 10:18). Therefore unless G-d uses them for His purposes, allowing them to know some future event, they have no ability within themselves to tell the future. As a result of this they often use deception so that those who seek them are fooled into believing that these spirits have G-d-like knowledge. This is simply not the case, in fact their power is very limited. Like their ruler Satan, they must ask G-d’s permission in order to act (Job 1:9-12; 1 Kings 22:221-23; 2 Chronicles 18:21-22). 1Sa 28:4 And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem (quietly resting): and Shaul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa (Boiling Spring). 1Sa 28:5 And when Shaul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled. This was a great Philistine army, gathered from all over the region in order to defeat Shaul’s army. Notice that the enemies of Israel pitch their tents at a place called, “Quietness, resting”, they are confident (G-d has allowed it). This is a stark contrast to the countenance of Shaul, in whom fear “springs up and boils over” (Gilboa). 1Sa 28:6 And when Shaul enquired of HaShem, HaShem answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim (lights), nor by prophets. Dreams: intimate and direct personal revelation Urim: impersonal public revelation by chance object Prophets: public revelation via an intermediary G-d had so completely rejected Shaul as king (shepherd) of His people Israel, that He would give him no guidance whatsoever. All forms of Divine revelation are covered by these three symbols of the prophetic means of conversation with G-d. It is worth noting that up until Sh’muel’s death (1 Samuel 25:1) Shaul had almost exclusively sought Sh’muel’s council. After killing the priests of G-d (1 Samuel 22:17-23) by the hand of an Edomite (an enemy of G-d and Israel), Shaul lost access to the Urim (lights) and Tumim (completions), which had been carried away with Avi-atar (My Father of Abundance) the son of Achi-melech (My Brother is King). The true Urim and Tumim were now available to David (Beloved of G-d) but not to Shaul. Therefore the Urim in question here are false Urim (lights), however, these false lights could not direct Shaul because they were incomplete (Tumim). Also, the Torah required that the Tumim and Urim be used by a priest, therefore Shaul was not qualified to use them. Notice that Shaul had, by his own hand, sought to symbolically end the possibility of David being King, by murdering Achi-melech (My Brother is King). This was an act of rebellion against G-d Who had chosen David (Beloved of G-d) over Shaul (asks). Shaul asked of G-d but was not in a love relationship with G-d. As a result of Shaul’s murderous rebellion, G-d removed His abundant provision (Avi-atar) from Shaul, and in turn Shaul lost any sense of relationship to G-d as Father. David on the other hand became king and enjoyed an abundant relationship with G-d his Father (Avi-atar). 1Sa 28:7 Then Shaul said to his servants, “Seek me a woman that has a familiar spirit that I may go to her, and enquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, there is a woman that has a familiar spirit at Eyn-dor (Eye of generations).” Shaul does what his name suggests, he enquires, but not of G-d. The servants of Shaul have apparently heard of a woman who practices witchcraft and has a familiar spirit. She lives in Eyn-dor, which means, “Eye of generations”, a name that denotes a stronghold for those who pretended to talk to the dead. The modern term for this woman would be, medium. It’s significant that Eyn-dor was located in the Canaanite territory to the north and was one of the cities Israel had failed to conquer (Joshua 17:11), which means that it had been rooted in idolatry and pagan worship from ancient times. It would also become part of the apostate kingdom of the north when Israel and Judah later become separate kingdoms. Shaul would have had to travel past the Philistine position (only 10km to the north-west) in order to go north to Eyn-dor, this would add to his fear and desperation. However, such was his need to get direction and affirmation, that he was willing to take this risk to seek the council of demonic spirits/false gods via a medium.
1Sa 28:8 And Shaul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and journeyed together with the two men and they came to the woman by night: and he said, “Please, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me up, the one whose name I tell you.” Given that Shaul was about to travel past an enemy encampment and to a medium who he knew would have heard of his past treatment of those who practiced dark arts, it’s natural that he would take off his kingly garments and travel as a civilian. In addition to this, by arriving at night he was limiting the possibility that anyone would recognize him. Metaphorically speaking Shaul has taken off the garments of his kingship, symbolically ending his reign and is hiding himself behind a disguise in order to seek one who attempts to hide from G-d in the darkness. The night symbolizes darkness and the works of the Evil One. “The one whose name I tell you”. A medium is always able to call up the person requested because her customer is entirely reliant on her vision. When you make a request of someone who practices deception they will always tell you what your itching ears want to hear. This is how they make their living. 1Sa 28:9 And the woman said unto him, “Behold, you know what Shaul has done, how he has cut off (killed) those that have familiar spirits, and the magicians, from the land (Eretz Israel): why then do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die?” The medium lived in comparative safety in Eyn-dor because it was not controlled by Israel at the time. Although she clearly still prefers to remain anonymous so as not to invoke the wrath of king Shaul, who she has heard has killed almost all those who have practiced dark arts in opposition to G-d. The woman tests Shaul with this statement, hoping to discern whether he is genuine or just trying to trap her. 1Sa 28:10 And Shaul swore to her by HaShem, saying, “As HaShem lives, you shall not receive any punishment for this thing.” 1Sa 28:11 Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up unto you?” And he said, “Bring me up Sh’muel (Hears G-d).” The fact that Shaul swore by HaShem is ironic. By doing so he cursed himself because no man can promise a person who rebels against G-d, that they will not be punished. While Shaul meant that no one in his kingdom would punish her, he fails to realise the weight of his words and their spiritual ramifications. The woman is brazen in her question, insinuating that there is no one whose spirit she could not bring up from the dead. Of course, her patrons can’t see what she claims to see, therefore she has free reign to communicate to them whatever they are asking for. Up until now Sh’muel had not been mentioned in the woman’s presence. He had been known throughout Israel and in the surrounding lands as a powerful prophet of G-d and would have been known as the direct prophetic counsellor to Shaul, Israel’s king. This could not have escaped the hearing of the witch of Eyn-dor. What follows is therefore easily explained: 1Sa 28:12 And when the woman considered (saw, envisioned) Sh’muel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spoke to Shaul, saying, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Shaul.” The women, “v’teyre” perceives, considers, (knows, sees or envisions) Sh’muel. I believe she has simply made the logical connection between Shaul and Sh’muel and is terrified at the possibility of her own imminent death at the hands of Shaul and his men, whom she believes have tricked her. Thus she cries out in fear and challenges Shaul, accusing him of deceit. The deceiver accusing her client of deceit. 1Sa 28:13 And the king said unto her, “Don’t be afraid: now, what do you see?” And the woman said unto Shaul, I see elohim (plural form from the root eloah: gods, rulers, angels, shades, evil spirits) ascending out of the land (ha-aretz). Shaul quiets her by telling her not to be afraid and then presses her to tell him what she sees via the familiar spirit. Her answer is the key to understanding what follows. What the woman sees is not Shaul or his ghost or his angel or any other part of him: rather what she sees are elohim, gods, coming up from the land (ha-aretz). While elohim is sometimes (rarely) used in the Tanakh (OT) to describe living human rulers or judges, it is never used to describe deceased human beings. Had the writer intended the reader to understand Shaul’s disembodied spirit he would have used the Hebrew word ruach. As stated in the introduction, false gods and demonic forces (Heb: shad) are synonymous. “They sacrificed unto demons (Hebrew: shade), not to G-d; to gods (elohim) whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.” –Deuteronomy 32:17 “But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to G-d: and I don’t want you fellowshipping with demons.” –1 Corinthians 10:20 These gods are not able to tell the future of their own accord, nor do they have anything to do with the human spirit. They are fallen angels, demonic entities and rulers of the darkness that seek only to satisfy their own evil and idolatrous purposes in keeping with their ruler Satan. These elohim are ascending up from the land (aretz) and not Sheol. This is because the abode of the demonic is either earthly (within the first and second heaven prior to Messiah’s death and resurrection) or the abyss (a deep holding place/prison for evil forces, which separate from Sheol/Gehinom: Rev. 9:11; 11:7; 17:8; 20:1-3). Only human spirits are kept in Sheol until judgement. However because these elohim will masquerade as a human spirit, they’re pretending to have come from Sheol and therefore present a metaphor that illuminates Shaul’s current circumstances. Sheol (always asking, never sated) will answer Shaul (asks, enquires) with doom. Just as Shaul asks and is not satisfied, so too Sheol asks and is never satisfied. “There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’: Sheol, the barren womb, land, which is never satisfied with water, and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’” –Proverbs 30:15-16 1Sa 28:14 And he (Shaul) said to her, “What form is it (are they) taking?” And she said, “An old man comes up; and he is covered with a mantle.” And Shaul perceived that it was Sh’muel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself. Notice that Shaul cannot see the elohim/gods, he is entirely reliant on what the woman tells him that she sees. The woman, who most likely knew that Sh’muel had died an old man, simply describes the entity (gods) in a similar way. Additionally, she knew that Sh’muel was a prophet of G-d and adds that the elohim are wearing a prophet’s mantle. Or on the other hand, the demonic gods are indeed taking the form of Sh’muel. Either way, what the woman sees is not Sh’muel. Shaul, upon hearing the generic description that the woman gives, perceives, or decides (vayda), that this must be Sh’muel (Whom he has longed to receive counsel from) coming up from Sheol. As a result of both the elohim and the woman’s deceit and through his own self-delusion Shaul becomes convinced that it is Sh’muel, G-d’s prophet and lays prostrate with his face to the ground in reverence. Little does he know that he is paying homage to false gods. How can we be so sure that this entity (elohim) is not Sh’muel’s disembodied human spirit risen from Sheol? First, the only examples of people coming up from the dead elsewhere in the Scriptures are accounts of full bodily resurrections (1 Kings 17:17-24; 2 Kings 13:21; Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:1-8; Luke 7:12-26; John 11), meaning that the entire being, heart, mind, body and soul are resurrected. There are no instances where the human spirit is resurrected. We are also told that, “It is appointed unto human beings once to die and then the judgement” (Hebrews 9:27). In other words, even in the case of a resurrection miracle like that of Lazarus, he eventually died (once) in a final sense and awaits the judgement. He will not be given opportunity to return in any form until the Day of the L-rd. This understanding supports the holistic Hebrew view of the intrinsically linked soul, made up of emotion, mind, spirit and body, all converging at the core (lev), the heart (centre of the being). The Hebrew nefesh (soul) is indivisible. Some suggest that the Transfiguration, which included Moses, who had previously died, is proof of the fact that disembodied human spirits return from the dead; however, a closer look at the text describing the Transfiguration reveals that all three persons involved were present in bodily form, not merely as spirits but as transfigured bodily beings (Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:1-8). There are a number of clear differences between the account of Saul and the witch and the account of the Transfiguration:
We must conclude that while unique, the Transfiguration supports only full bodily resurrection and does not in any way support the idea of disembodied human spirits. Second, Yeshua confirms through His mashal (parable) of Lazarus and the Rich man (Luke 16:19-31), that while the dead are conscious in Sheol, they’re not able to traverse, either from one part (Abraham’s bosom) to another (Gehinom) or from Sheol to life, once they have died one final death (Hebrews 9:27). This teaching parable of Yeshua is in the unique form of a true story that teaches spiritual truth. It is the only mashal Yeshua tells that uses the proper names of characters. This is an indication of the factual reality of the story. Where Yeshua’s other mashlim (parables) use earthly circumstances to convey unseen spiritual things, the mashal of Lazarus and the Rich man use spiritual circumstances to illuminate physical things. Third, the Scriptures speak of the deceased as being completely removed from what goes on in this world. The dead are said to be unable to return after their one final death. Where the soul is redeemed from death in the psalms, the psalmist is describing a near death experience that he has escaped from at the hand of G-d, or he is prophesying the physical resurrection of the Messiah, he never intends these turns of phrase to indicate the disembodiment of the human spirit. “As the cloud is consumed and vanishes away: so he that goes down to Sheol shall come up no more.” –Job 7:9 “Yet shall he be brought to the khever (grave), and shall remain in the tomb.” –Job 21:32 “Whatsoever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the Sheol, where you are going.” –Ecclesiastes 9:10 1Sa 28:15 And Sh’muel said to Shaul, “Why have you provoked me, to bring me up?” And Shaul answered, “I am extremely distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and G-d is departed from me, and no longer answers me, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called you, that you might make known to me what I should do.” This is not Sh’muel speaking but the elohim (demonic spirits). We know this because in the Chronicler’s concise summation of these events he records that Shaul sought the advice, not of Sh’muel or a medium but of a Familiar spirit (Ov: demonic force): “So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against HaShem, even against the Word (D’var) of HaShem, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it;” –1 Chronicles 10:13 The bold parts of this text from 1st Chronicles have been added by the translators, they are not present in the Hebrew text. In fact the Hebrew text reads: “And also for consulting a familiar spirit, to enquire.” The Chronicler, inspired by G-d’s Spirit, makes clear that Shaul was speaking to a Familiar spirit (Ov: demonic) and not to Sh’muel. Therefore, we should read “The gods/demons/familiar spirit whom Shaul had decided was Sh’muel based on the medium’s generic description, said to Shaul.” Remember that Shaul is having the words of the demonic spirit conveyed to him by the medium. This is indicated by the Hebrew “Ov” which means, “to mumble like the hollow gurgling sound of water pouring from a hardened water skin”. This in turn is a Hebrew euphemism used to describe ventriloquism. This entire conversation is being facilitated by the medium as alluded to by Shaul’s having previously asked the medium what she sees (28:13-14). The words of the elohim spoken to Shaul through the medium, indicate its origin. It attempts to convey they idea (Contrary to the teaching of Scripture) that human beings can bring disembodied human spirits up from the grave through the practice of witchcraft. This spirit is a deceiving (lying) spirit sent to torment, like those sent out by G-d to achieve His purposes in several other Biblical accounts. “Then G-d sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech:” –Judges 9:23 “But the Spirit of HaShem departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from HaShem troubled him. And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit of gods (elohim) troubles you.” –1 Samuel 16:14-15 “And there came forth a spirit, and stood before HaShem, and said, I will persuade him. And HaShem said to it, ‘How will you do it?’ And it said, ‘I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And G-d said, ‘You have permission to persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.’ Now therefore, behold, HaShem sent out a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets, and HaShem has spoken evil concerning you.” –1 Kings 22:221-23 (2 Chronicles 18:21-22) “Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of demons;” –1 Timothy 4:1 Although G-d has made it abundantly clear to Shaul that He will not speak to him, and although Sh’muel himself had refused to give Shaul guidance in his latter days, and despite the fact that Shaul knew that what he was doing through witchcraft could not possibly result in him receiving G-d’s guidance; Shaul in his desperation convinces himself that this false deity is Sh’muel and that he will receive a truthful answer to his question. 1Sa 28:16 Then Sh’muel said, “Why then do you ask me, seeing HaShem is departed from you, and is become your enemy?” “Then the false gods/demons/familiar spirit whom Shaul had decided were Sh’muel spoke through the medium to Shaul saying.” The demonic force continues to play with Shaul, mimicking what it thinks Sh’muel might say, however there is also some truth in its lie: “Why are you asking a demon for guidance now that G-d has departed from you?” 1Sa 28:17 “And HaShem has done to him (David), according to the word in my hand: for HaShem has rent the kingdom out of your hand, and given it to your neighbour, even to David:” Either the demonic force had observed or the woman knew of the story of the kingdom being torn out of Shaul’s hand. This was an easy deception to make on the part of the medium and the elohim. Or G-d had given the deceiving entities this knowledge. 1Sa 28:18 “Because you did not listen to the voice of HaShem, nor execute His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore HaShem has done this thing unto you this day.” Here the medium and demon are used to speak the truth according to HaShem’s purpose. G-d will have His way regardless of whose council Shaul seeks. What the Familiar spirit does not do is offer Shaul the solution of repentance and reconciliation to G-d, this is something the real Sh’muel might have done had he been the one Shaul was talking with. After all it is the role of the true prophet to offer Israel an opportunity to repent, it is the false prophet that gives Israel no means of reconciliation. When a true prophet looks at the people of G-d he sees family. When a false prophet looks at the people of G-d he sees an audience. 1Sa 28:19 “Moreover HaShem will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines: and tomorrow (literally the next day or some time hereafter) both you and your sons will be with me: HaShem also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.” This is not an indication of the demonic force or the woman having foreknowledge. In fact these words could not be more generic. The Hebrew makhar can either mean, the very next day or at some point in the future. Shaul and his sons died several days after this meeting, therefore tomorrow is inaccurate (not a prophecy of G-d), leaving the vague, “at some point in the future” being the winner of this ludicrously vague prediction. Additionally the allusion to the death of Shaul’s sons is equally vague given the number of Son’s Shaul had and that not all of Shaul’s sons died in the proceeding battle. The façade is kept up by the demonic spirit and the medium, with the words “you’ll be with me”. 1Sa 28:20 Then Shaul immediately fell face down on the earth, and was terrified, because of the words of Sh’muel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all that day and night. Again, not Sh’muel but the false gods/elohim whom Shaul perceived to be Sh’muel. 1Sa 28:21 And the woman came to Shaul, and saw that he was greatly troubled, and said to him, Behold, your handmaid has obeyed your voice, and I have taken my life in my hands, and have hearkened unto your words which you spoke to me. The fact that the woman/medium came to Shaul indicates that she was performing her service at a distance from him or in the tradition of other ancient soothsayers, from behind a dimly lit curtain. Conclusion: There are no disembodied human spirits roaming the earth, they are simply demonic Familiar spirits or gods masquerading as human spirits. To seek guidance from the dead is to reject guidance from the Living One. When we engage in magic arts we are deluding and imprisoning ourselves and worse still we are allowing evil spiritual entities to take up residence in our lives. When, like Shaul, we are unable to hear G-d our response should be one of repentance and trust. We do well to remember that all things are in G-ds hands and that we are His precious children in Messiah. If it seems that G-d is silent in our suffering, it is because He sees a better outcome for us in His stillness than we’re able to see in our turmoil. © 2015 Yaakov Brown |
Yaakov BrownFounder of the Beth Melekh International Messiah Following Jewish Community, Archives
February 2024
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