Post by alon on Mar 17, 2016 20:44:49 GMT -8
Haftara for Par’sha Vayikra, Isaiah 43:21-44:23
I am using Young's Literal Translation here, which can be difficult to read. But in many cases I think it gets the point across better. You should follow along with whatever translation you normally use as well; which should make it a little easier.
Last week we saw that in terms of continued faith, the Babylonian Exile was one of the darkest, most challenging in the history of God’s people. This week we witness the prophet Yishayahu tell the people their redemption from the Babylonian exile will be even more miraculous than that of their redemption from Egypt. A few verses on from this haftarah Yishayahu even names their deliverer 150 yrs. before his birth! In this way King Cyrus of Persia was a type of Yeshua, even though he was a pagan king.
Isaiah 44:28 (YLT) Who is saying of Cyrus, My shepherd, And all my delight He doth perfect, So as to say of Jerusalem, Thou art built, And of the temple, Thou art founded.
In 43:22-44:5 The Lord recounts the sins of Yisro’el, the focus being on their not properly worshiping Him. El Elohe Yisra’el does not punish His people unjustly. But when that punishment has run its’ course, He will in time redeem His people with a mighty hand!
Isaiah 43:22-24 (YLT) And Me thou hast not called [JPS- it is not Me whom you have worshiped], O Jacob, For thou hast been wearied of me, O Israel, Thou hast not brought in to Me, The lamb of thy burnt-offerings, And [with] thy sacrifices thou hast not honoured Me, I have not caused thee to serve with a present, Nor wearied thee with frankincense. Thou hast not bought for Me with money sweet cane, And [with] the fat of thy sacrifices hast not filled Me, Only -- thou hast caused Me to serve with thy sins, Thou hast wearied Me with thine iniquities.
Isaiah 44:23 (YLT) Sing, O heavens, for Jehovah hath wrought, Shout, O lower parts of earth, Break forth, O mountains, with singing, Forest, and every tree in it, For Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob, And in Israel He doth beautify Himself.
It was not just because the Israelites did not worship, or even that they worshiped falsely (both of which they were guilty of), but those who did worshiped wrongly.
Isaiah 1:11-13 (YLT) `Why to Me the abundance of your sacrifices? saith Jehovah, I have been satiated [with] burnt-offerings of rams, And fat of fatlings; And blood of bullocks, and lambs, And he-goats I have not desired. When ye come in to appear before Me, Who hath required this of your hand, To trample My courts? Add not to bring in a vain present, Incense -- an abomination it [is] to Me, New moon, and sabbath, calling of convocation! Rendure not iniquity -- and a restraint!
Amos 5:21-23 (YLT) I have hated -- I have loathed your festivals, And I am not refreshed by your restraints. For though ye cause burnt-offerings and your presents to ascend to Me, I am not pleased, And the peace-offering of your fatlings I behold not. Turn aside from Me the noise of thy songs, Yea, the praise of thy psaltery I hear not.
It is for the sake of His own reputation, not their righteousness, that YHVH Elohe Yeshuathi (Lord God of My Salvation) will redeem His people.
Isaiah 43:25 (YLT) I -- I [am] He who is blotting out Thy transgressions for Mine own sake, And thy sins I do not remember.
Isaiah 44:3 (YLT) For I pour waters on a thirsty one, And floods on a dry land, I pour My Spirit on thy seed, And My blessing on thine offspring.
I grew up in the deserts of the Southwest, and so I can relate to this one. Plants lie parched and brown much of the year; dormant and waiting for water. And when it comes, the desert can bloom in more glorious life and colors that a person could ever imagine! This is the promise of that same YHVH Elohe Yeshuathi to all who would trust in Him- I will give you life, and that abundantly!
John 10:10b (KJV) I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
This also introduces one of the most significant verses in the entire Bible for Meshiachim:
Isaiah 44:5 (YLT) This [one] saith, For Jehovah I [am], And this calleth [himself] by the name of Jacob, And this [one] writeth [with] his hand, `For Jehovah,' and by the name of Israel surnameth himself.
This is a reference to non-Jews who according to the notes in my JPS Study TNK “would adopt Jewish beliefs, practices and ethnicity.” We need to be clear on the significance of that:
Isaiah 56:3-8 (YLT) Nor speak let a son of the stranger, Who is joined unto Jehovah, saying: `Jehovah doth certainly separate me from His people.' Nor say let the eunuch, `Lo, I am a tree dried up,' For thus said Jehovah of the eunuchs, Who do keep My sabbaths, And have fixed on that which I desired, And are keeping hold on My covenant: I have given to them in My house, And within My walls a station and a name, Better than sons and than daughters, A name age-during I give to him That is not cut off. And sons of the stranger, who are joined to Jehovah, To serve Him, and to love the name of Jehovah, To be to Him for servants, Every keeper of the sabbath from polluting it, And those keeping hold on My covenant. I have brought them unto My holy mountain, And caused them to rejoice in My house of prayer, Their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices [Are] for a pleasing thing on Mine altar, For My house, `A house of prayer,' Is called for all the peoples. An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, Who is gathering the outcasts of Israel: `Again I gather to him -- to his gathered ones.'
Long before Rav Sha’ul said we were grafted onto the Jewish rootstalk (Rom 11) it was promised to us who would adopt Judaism as our way of life. And it was done all through the TNK, especially in the Egyptian and Babylonian exhiles. This is (as always) nothing new folks … we who would call ourselves by God’s name and adopt the ways of His people and keep His
- we are of His people, by His decree!
Chapter 44 deals primarily with the primacy of monotheism and the foolishness of idolatry. In vv. 6-8 He declares He is the only God; Lord, Redeemer, King of Yisro’el, Lord of Hosts. He is the Incomparible One, the Omniscient One the Rock- The Only One!
Isaiah 44:6-8 (YLT) Thus said Jehovah, king of Israel, And his Redeemer, Jehovah of Hosts: `I [am] the first, and I the last, And besides Me there is no God. And who as I, doth call and declare it, And arrange it for Me, Since My placing the people of antiquity, And things that are coming, And those that do come, declare they to them? Fear not, nor be afraid, Have I not from that time caused thee to hear, and declared? And ye [are] My witnesses, Is there a God besides Me? yea, there is none, A Rock I have not known.
Only El Elohe Yisra’el can predict as He does all history with 100% accuracy. And only He can punish His people. We have nothing to fear other than the anger of our God.
The prophet Yishayahu goes on to satirically deride idols and idolatry, saying that the same piece of wood or metal could be used for any ordinary purposes. Here he takes some liberties with the subject, as no pagans actually believe the idol is a god. The purpose of an idol is to attract a god (demon), which they do. However these demon-gods are of no more use against El Elyon than their idols are resistant to the flames of an oven or the smith’s hammer.
Idolitors will be afraid and put to
, in the end becoming like the idols they worship:
Isaiah 44:11 (YLT) Lo, all his companions are ashamed, As to artizans -- they [are] of men, All of them gather together, they stand up, They fear, they are ashamed together. … They have not known, nor do they understand, For He hath daubed their eyes from seeing, Their heart from acting wisely.
They have no real understanding, living as they do on the ashes of lies and false teaching:
Isaiah 44:19-20 (YLT) And none doth turn [it] back unto his heart, Nor hath knowledge nor understanding to say, `Half of it I have burned in the fire, Yea, also, I have baked bread over its coals, I roast flesh and I eat, And its remnant for an abomination I make, To the stock of a tree I fall down.' Feeding on ashes, the heart is deceived, It hath turned him aside, And he delivereth not his soul, nor saith: `Is there not a lie in my right hand?'
El Emunah (The Faithful God) will forgive if we turn away from idolatry, repenting of our sins and purposing to worship Him.
Isaiah 44:21-22 (YLT) Remember these, O Jacob, and Israel, For My servant thou [art], I formed thee, a servant to Me thou [art], O Israel, thou dost not forget Me. I have blotted out, as [by] a thick cloud, Thy transgressions, And as [by] a cloud thy sins, Return unto Me, for I have redeemed thee.
We, like the early Israelites were called to witness to the world against idolatry:
Isaiah 43:21 (YLT) This people I have formed for Myself, My praise they recount.
As Meshiachim, we should strive to put away all vestiges of idolatry from our Christian past. We are to be a light to them, not a hinderance.
Dan C
Sources: JPS Study TNK, W Wiersby, MF Unger, my father and others
I am using Young's Literal Translation here, which can be difficult to read. But in many cases I think it gets the point across better. You should follow along with whatever translation you normally use as well; which should make it a little easier.
Last week we saw that in terms of continued faith, the Babylonian Exile was one of the darkest, most challenging in the history of God’s people. This week we witness the prophet Yishayahu tell the people their redemption from the Babylonian exile will be even more miraculous than that of their redemption from Egypt. A few verses on from this haftarah Yishayahu even names their deliverer 150 yrs. before his birth! In this way King Cyrus of Persia was a type of Yeshua, even though he was a pagan king.
Isaiah 44:28 (YLT) Who is saying of Cyrus, My shepherd, And all my delight He doth perfect, So as to say of Jerusalem, Thou art built, And of the temple, Thou art founded.
In 43:22-44:5 The Lord recounts the sins of Yisro’el, the focus being on their not properly worshiping Him. El Elohe Yisra’el does not punish His people unjustly. But when that punishment has run its’ course, He will in time redeem His people with a mighty hand!
Isaiah 43:22-24 (YLT) And Me thou hast not called [JPS- it is not Me whom you have worshiped], O Jacob, For thou hast been wearied of me, O Israel, Thou hast not brought in to Me, The lamb of thy burnt-offerings, And [with] thy sacrifices thou hast not honoured Me, I have not caused thee to serve with a present, Nor wearied thee with frankincense. Thou hast not bought for Me with money sweet cane, And [with] the fat of thy sacrifices hast not filled Me, Only -- thou hast caused Me to serve with thy sins, Thou hast wearied Me with thine iniquities.
Isaiah 44:23 (YLT) Sing, O heavens, for Jehovah hath wrought, Shout, O lower parts of earth, Break forth, O mountains, with singing, Forest, and every tree in it, For Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob, And in Israel He doth beautify Himself.
It was not just because the Israelites did not worship, or even that they worshiped falsely (both of which they were guilty of), but those who did worshiped wrongly.
Isaiah 1:11-13 (YLT) `Why to Me the abundance of your sacrifices? saith Jehovah, I have been satiated [with] burnt-offerings of rams, And fat of fatlings; And blood of bullocks, and lambs, And he-goats I have not desired. When ye come in to appear before Me, Who hath required this of your hand, To trample My courts? Add not to bring in a vain present, Incense -- an abomination it [is] to Me, New moon, and sabbath, calling of convocation! Rendure not iniquity -- and a restraint!
Amos 5:21-23 (YLT) I have hated -- I have loathed your festivals, And I am not refreshed by your restraints. For though ye cause burnt-offerings and your presents to ascend to Me, I am not pleased, And the peace-offering of your fatlings I behold not. Turn aside from Me the noise of thy songs, Yea, the praise of thy psaltery I hear not.
It is for the sake of His own reputation, not their righteousness, that YHVH Elohe Yeshuathi (Lord God of My Salvation) will redeem His people.
Isaiah 43:25 (YLT) I -- I [am] He who is blotting out Thy transgressions for Mine own sake, And thy sins I do not remember.
Isaiah 44:3 (YLT) For I pour waters on a thirsty one, And floods on a dry land, I pour My Spirit on thy seed, And My blessing on thine offspring.
I grew up in the deserts of the Southwest, and so I can relate to this one. Plants lie parched and brown much of the year; dormant and waiting for water. And when it comes, the desert can bloom in more glorious life and colors that a person could ever imagine! This is the promise of that same YHVH Elohe Yeshuathi to all who would trust in Him- I will give you life, and that abundantly!
John 10:10b (KJV) I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
This also introduces one of the most significant verses in the entire Bible for Meshiachim:
Isaiah 44:5 (YLT) This [one] saith, For Jehovah I [am], And this calleth [himself] by the name of Jacob, And this [one] writeth [with] his hand, `For Jehovah,' and by the name of Israel surnameth himself.
This is a reference to non-Jews who according to the notes in my JPS Study TNK “would adopt Jewish beliefs, practices and ethnicity.” We need to be clear on the significance of that:
Isaiah 56:3-8 (YLT) Nor speak let a son of the stranger, Who is joined unto Jehovah, saying: `Jehovah doth certainly separate me from His people.' Nor say let the eunuch, `Lo, I am a tree dried up,' For thus said Jehovah of the eunuchs, Who do keep My sabbaths, And have fixed on that which I desired, And are keeping hold on My covenant: I have given to them in My house, And within My walls a station and a name, Better than sons and than daughters, A name age-during I give to him That is not cut off. And sons of the stranger, who are joined to Jehovah, To serve Him, and to love the name of Jehovah, To be to Him for servants, Every keeper of the sabbath from polluting it, And those keeping hold on My covenant. I have brought them unto My holy mountain, And caused them to rejoice in My house of prayer, Their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices [Are] for a pleasing thing on Mine altar, For My house, `A house of prayer,' Is called for all the peoples. An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, Who is gathering the outcasts of Israel: `Again I gather to him -- to his gathered ones.'
Long before Rav Sha’ul said we were grafted onto the Jewish rootstalk (Rom 11) it was promised to us who would adopt Judaism as our way of life. And it was done all through the TNK, especially in the Egyptian and Babylonian exhiles. This is (as always) nothing new folks … we who would call ourselves by God’s name and adopt the ways of His people and keep His
- we are of His people, by His decree! Chapter 44 deals primarily with the primacy of monotheism and the foolishness of idolatry. In vv. 6-8 He declares He is the only God; Lord, Redeemer, King of Yisro’el, Lord of Hosts. He is the Incomparible One, the Omniscient One the Rock- The Only One!
Isaiah 44:6-8 (YLT) Thus said Jehovah, king of Israel, And his Redeemer, Jehovah of Hosts: `I [am] the first, and I the last, And besides Me there is no God. And who as I, doth call and declare it, And arrange it for Me, Since My placing the people of antiquity, And things that are coming, And those that do come, declare they to them? Fear not, nor be afraid, Have I not from that time caused thee to hear, and declared? And ye [are] My witnesses, Is there a God besides Me? yea, there is none, A Rock I have not known.
Only El Elohe Yisra’el can predict as He does all history with 100% accuracy. And only He can punish His people. We have nothing to fear other than the anger of our God.
The prophet Yishayahu goes on to satirically deride idols and idolatry, saying that the same piece of wood or metal could be used for any ordinary purposes. Here he takes some liberties with the subject, as no pagans actually believe the idol is a god. The purpose of an idol is to attract a god (demon), which they do. However these demon-gods are of no more use against El Elyon than their idols are resistant to the flames of an oven or the smith’s hammer.
Idolitors will be afraid and put to
, in the end becoming like the idols they worship:Isaiah 44:11 (YLT) Lo, all his companions are ashamed, As to artizans -- they [are] of men, All of them gather together, they stand up, They fear, they are ashamed together. … They have not known, nor do they understand, For He hath daubed their eyes from seeing, Their heart from acting wisely.
They have no real understanding, living as they do on the ashes of lies and false teaching:
Isaiah 44:19-20 (YLT) And none doth turn [it] back unto his heart, Nor hath knowledge nor understanding to say, `Half of it I have burned in the fire, Yea, also, I have baked bread over its coals, I roast flesh and I eat, And its remnant for an abomination I make, To the stock of a tree I fall down.' Feeding on ashes, the heart is deceived, It hath turned him aside, And he delivereth not his soul, nor saith: `Is there not a lie in my right hand?'
El Emunah (The Faithful God) will forgive if we turn away from idolatry, repenting of our sins and purposing to worship Him.
Isaiah 44:21-22 (YLT) Remember these, O Jacob, and Israel, For My servant thou [art], I formed thee, a servant to Me thou [art], O Israel, thou dost not forget Me. I have blotted out, as [by] a thick cloud, Thy transgressions, And as [by] a cloud thy sins, Return unto Me, for I have redeemed thee.
We, like the early Israelites were called to witness to the world against idolatry:
Isaiah 43:21 (YLT) This people I have formed for Myself, My praise they recount.
As Meshiachim, we should strive to put away all vestiges of idolatry from our Christian past. We are to be a light to them, not a hinderance.
Dan C
Sources: JPS Study TNK, W Wiersby, MF Unger, my father and others
