Post by alon on May 26, 2016 15:49:16 GMT -8
Haftara for Par’shah Bechukotai, Jerimiah 16:19-17:14
Because most of this haftarah is written in poetic verse, as is much of the supporting references, I am using the King James Bible here unless otherwise noted. The KJV is very readable and understandable in these verses as well.
This is another prophetic warning of coming judgement attended by the usual promise of blessing which will result when the punishment is fulfilled. The prophet Yir’meyahu was denied marriage or children by Elohim in order to demonstrate the inexorable nature of this judgement now about to come on Judah.
The Jewish people were always seeking out alliances with other nations; particularly Egypt and Babalon. However reliance’s on other nations for their aid placed them outside the grace of Elohe Mauzi- God of My Strength. It was a clear demonstration of their lack of trust in their Elohim. (see the thread on Galatians 5).
Jeremiah 16:19 O Lord, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.
Yir’meyahu is looking prophetically to a day when the nations will acknowledge the sovereignty of El Elohe Yisra’el- God, the God of Israel.
Zechariah 8:20-23 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities: And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts: I will go also. Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.
Having come out of Christianity or other religions, or even those just coming to know Yeshua as Savior can relate to this verse. Whether the false doctrines of Christianity or the “common knowledge” of abject paganism, we’ve all experienced the scales falling from our eyes as we look at G-d’s word with new understanding. It is as though we were blind before, but now the truths of Elohim are revealed as though we are being healed by Yeshua Himself:
Acts 9:18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
Jeremiah 16:20-21 Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods? Therefore, behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know mine hand and my might; and they shall know that my name is The Lord.
G-d now asks a rhetorical question, ‘can we make our own gods?’ Of course we can’t! He, not any idol is El Gibor- The Mighty God; He is the one who will lead men to the truth:
Isaiah 2:2-4 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Jeremiah 17:1 The sin of Judah is written with a pen [stylus] of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars;
This is a metaphorical reference of the indelible nature of Judah’s sins. They are engraved so deeply on the hearts of the people their worship is effected. When sin has so overtaken us that we are in this deep, repentance is highly unlikely and extremely difficult to muster for an individual. When a nation is this far gone it is next to impossible.
Every time we sin, we engrave that behavior on our hearts. While this passage does deal with prophecy of judgement, the main theme in this haftarah is our heart condition both as individuals and as a nation. Only Elohim Ozer Li- God My Helper can heal a heart so wracked by sin; and only if we repent. And He, when we study and meditate on His word will ultimately replace this engraved sin with His divine instruction (); just as He will one day do for all nations when the covenant is restored, giving us victory over sin.
Psalm 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
2 Corinthians 3:2-3 (ESV) You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
Jeremiah 17:2-4 Whilst their children remember their altars and their groves by the green trees upon the high hills. O my mountain in the field, I will give thy substance and all thy treasures to the spoil, and thy high places for sin, throughout all thy borders. And thou, even thyself, shalt discontinue from thine heritage that I gave thee; and I will cause thee to serve thine enemies in the land which thou knowest not: for ye have kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall burn for ever.
The Jewish children remembered the altars dedicated to false gods; the wooden Ashera poles all on the choicest high places. Worshiping there was a sin, and so those places will be given to others and destroyed. Because they angered their Elohim, the people of Judah would loose their land and be taken as slaves once again.
Jeremiah 17:5-8 Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
“heath” H6176 עַרְעָר עֲרוֹעֵר ‛ărô‛êr ‛ar‛âr ar-o-ayr', ar-awr' From H6209 reduplicated; a juniper (from its nudity of situation): - heath.
This metaphor points to the cause of draught, their worship of other gods. Reliance on idols makes a person like a bush in in an arid land, knowing nothing. But the man who puts his trust in God will be like a well watered tree which produces fruit. Faith in the Lord makes you a deeply rooted tree that can survive the draught.
Psalm 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
The roots of a soul that rests on God is watered from the hidden springs of eternity.
Jeremiah 17:9-10 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
A deceitful heart tends always to substitute the strength of its’ own mortal flesh for that of the El Hay- The Living God.
“desperately wicked” H605 אָנַשׁ 'ânash aw-nash' A primitive root; to be frail, feeble, or (figuratively) melancholy: - desperate (-ly wicked), incurable, sick, woeful.
The heart is incurably sick, and only YHVH Rophe- The Lord Our Healer can perform the necessary healing. Think of Jer 17.9 when you are tempted to, or hear others say “I know my own heart,” or worse “God knows my heart so it is ok” in order to justify doing as we please. We will someday be terribly surprised to learn what G-d sees there.
The wounds inflicted on us by others, particularly in childhood are in reality the knife thrusts of the enemy of our souls. Those wounds are specific to us and against our calling; and they are accurate and deadly! And they effect everything in our lives from that point on. Pastor Ed Cole says “Whatever sins you do not forgive in others, you will own for the rest of your life.” This is why transgenerational sin is such a problem; wounded people wound others they come in contact with, and sins are passed on from generation to generation. So I would like to insert here that often the healing of our hearts starts with our opening up to the Ruach and allowing G-d to do a work of forgiveness in us. And one of the places I’ve had to work on this (as some of you may have noticed) is my anger towards those Christian pastors and teachers who did not seek out the truth and who led us all astray with false doctrines. They taught me what they knew, and much of it (like the works of Pastor Cole) was very good.
Jeremiah 17:11 As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.
One of the fruits of idolatry is abuse of power, as Yehoachin did, and other forms of thievery and attaining wealth by dishonest means. There was an ancient belief that the partridge stole eggs of other birds, sitting them as its’ own. Like the bird, a covetous man steals other’s goods but reap’s disappointment when driven off thenest before his eggs can hatch, or benefit himself.
Jeremiah 17:12 A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary.
The prophet looked up from the decaying throne of Judah to see the throne of Elohim BaShamayhim- God in Heaven in all it’s glory; and it gave him hope. His throne room is our sanctuary and a defense for all who place their thrust in Him.
Jeremiah 17:13 O Lord, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters.
Those who do not place their trust El Elyon- The Most High God have neither salvation nor security; their names are written in the earth. They will be forgotten as though written in sand and obliterated by the wind. This could be what is referenced in the well-known passage:
John 8:6-8 (ESV) This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground.
Those whose trust is in the Lord are written in heaven, in the Lamb’s Book of Life:
Luke 10:20 (ESV) Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
Revelation 21:27 (ESV) But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Jeremiah 17:14 Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.
Yir’meyahu is praying for spiritual healing here. This verse is rewritten in the plural as “Heal us, O LORD, and let us be healed” in the daily Amidah prayer said by all observant Jews, even today.
Call this a short bonus d’rash, but I had to include this. It is another reason for using the King James Bible here, as this is very understandable to anyone who reads their Bible with any discernment at all. The words of the prophet are very clear:
Jeremiah 17:19-27 King James Version (KJV) Thus said the Lord unto me; Go and stand in the gate of the children of the people, whereby the kings of Judah come in, and by the which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem; And say unto them, Hear ye the word of the Lord, ye kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that enter in by these gates: Thus saith the Lord; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers. But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction. And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto me, saith the Lord, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but hallow the sabbath day, to do no work therein; Then shall there enter into the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and this city shall remain for ever. And they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from the places about Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the plain, and from the mountains, and from the south, bringing burnt offerings, and sacrifices, and meat offerings, and incense, and bringing sacrifices of praise, unto the house of the Lord. But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.
YHVH Hashopet- The Lord the Judge here through his prophet Yir’meyahu is telling us that either the keeping or the desecration of His Sabbath is an index of our loyalty to Him. And He gives us a clear warning against violating Shabbat, telling us the consequences if we persist. I think He is calling us today as individuals, and as a nation to come back to worship as He prescribed it, not as He proscribed it.
Dan C
Resources: JPS Study TNK, W Wiersby, F Meyer, , Unger, Edersheim, Pastor Cole, J Eldredge, Rav S, my father and others