Post by alon on Mar 18, 2016 21:56:05 GMT -8
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!
Read more: theloveofgod.proboards.com/thread/3827/haftara-par-sha-vayikra-isaiah#ixzz43JtoBadp
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! Read more: theloveofgod.proboards.com/thread/3827/haftara-par-sha-vayikra-isaiah#ixzz43JtoBadp
The teaching this week by Rav S fell right in line with this excerpt from the haftarah. So here, with his permission, are the notes I took. He taught on the Book of Ruth.
If you are a proselyte to Messianic Judaism you should know every detail about the story of Ruth. She is the role model for the convert. She herself was a Moabitess.
The story goes there was a famine in the land, and Elimelech of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in Moab with his wife Naomi and his two sons, Mahlon and Chilion. But Elimelech died, and Naomi was left with her two sons. Now, Naomi was a good Jewess, however her sons sinned by taking foreign wives. We know this because we can go to the Targum, which is an Aramaic translation. True, it’s just a translation, but it is an older one. It is a good resource because it sometimes explains things not found in scripture. The church has discarded the Targun, and in so doing lost a valuable resource for understanding.
Ruth 1: 4-5 (Targum) They transgressed the decree of the Memra of the Lord and they took for themselves foreign wives from the house of Moab. The name of one was Orpah and the name of the second was Ruth, the daughter of Eglon, the king of Moab. And they dwelt there for a time of about ten years. And because they had transgressed the decree of the Memra of the Lord and married into foreign nations, their days were cut short. And both Mahlon and Chilion also died in the unclean land and the woman was left bereft of her two sons and widowed of her husband.
So Naomi set out to return to her homeland. She was such a kind person and a good mother-in-law that Ruth and Orpah set out with her, fully intending to leave their homeland. Both had families they could return to. Notice above that Ruth was even of the royal household in Moab. But on the way Naomi urges the women to stay and return to their kin.
Ruth 1:8-9 (ESV) But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother's house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.
“They lifted up their voices” is an idiom for loudly protesting, even shouting. They wanted to go with Naomi. It is significant that they initially did not want to go back to their old lives. She gave several convincing arguments for them to stay however, and Orpah finally, though reluctantly, did.
Ruth 1:15-16 (ESV) And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.
Note that the two women were proselytes already. You cannot go back to your gods unless you have already left them. This was a time of testing for these two young proselytes, and Orpah failed the test. In the time of testing her commitment falters. Too many times we see people convert to Messianic Judaism avowing their commitment. But when tested they fall away, returning to the church or to serve other gods as before.
Ruth on the other hand would have none of these arguments. She was determined to go with Naomi and remain a Jewess. So we must each ask ourselves, which type of proselyte are we? Will we persevere when things get hard? Do we press on down the path to Judaism, taking on full
observance and the customs of a people not originally our own? Or do we like Orpah return to our old gods? Are we hesitant to be called Jews? Or could someone try to talk us out of being Jews? Many here have tried in the past. And most of us (myself included) came to take the mantle of Observant Messianic Judaism slowly. Nothing wrong with that. However as the truth is revealed to us we either accept it and remain in it, or we fall back. We either progress or we regress- there is no middle road.Note too Ruth said “your people shall be my people.” Judaism is about community, and is not meant to be done on your own. This is a particular problem for many of us as contemporary Meshiachim, either isolated geographically or living in divided homes. That is one reason it is so important for us to come together here as a type of community; a place where we can at least search out the truth in the Word and support each other.
Ruth reaffirmed her commitment to being Jewish. No argument could convince her to turn away or even falter. Ruth passed the test, and she went on to give us not only a practical lesson on the concept of the goel (Kinsman Redeemer) but she was in the lineage of hamoshiach.
Churches today teach that the Old Testament was all about the Jews and the New Testament is about the gentiles. Hogwash! As we saw in the haftarah Gentiles were brought into the fold all through the TNK. This is the story of one such instance. And since when is the Bible about “us”? It is the history of how HaShem deals with mankind, not just our kind!
Dan C
Based on a portion of a teaching By Rav S of Synagogue Beit Aveinu
