God's Blessing

Introduction

            Many of you have seen the images on the news or in your national newspapers of the flood-ravaged areas here in Colorado. Well, for those of us who live here, we didn’t have to tune into the evening news or pick up a newspaper to understand the devastation, it was all around us. Countless people; family, friends, and neighbors, were impacted by the destructive flooding that some climatologists suggest occurs just once every thousand years. I had the opportunity to visit with a number of clients and friends affected by the flooding and I was honored to have had the opportunity to serve them and pray for them. Even as I prayed for them in the midst of the destruction they were enduring, the idea of “blessing” seemed necessary for the circumstances. Normally, we wouldn’t associate God’s Blessing with devastation and destruction but I want to suggest that it is in just such circumstances that God’s Blessing is most important and efficacious. It seems antithetical to the tragic events we must endure but I think that’s because we have a distorted understanding of what it means to receive God’s Blessing, especially here in America. We equate God’s Blessing with health, wealth and happiness and the absence of blessing if any of those things are removed from our lives. I would like to suggest a different perspective for God’s Blessing. Being blessed by God is how God’s character is worked into us; how we become more like Christ—And nothing builds Godly character quite like trials and tribulations. It is an ongoing process whereby God uses us to bless those around us and ultimately finds its culmination in our lives through our experiential knowledge of God as co-heirs of the Kingdom. That’s not to say that God’s Blessing doesn’t involve His provision as one of His names is Jehovah Jireh—“God will provide.” However, this is not the primary function or biblical understanding of God’s Blessing. In Matthew 5 we find that those who are blessed are poor, meek, merciful and persecuted. Elsewhere, we see that those who invite the lame and the poor to their banquets are blessed (Lk 14:13). We learn that those who don’t fall away from the faith are blessed (Lk 7:23); children are blessed (Mk 10:16); those who hear and obey the Word of God are blessed (Lk 11:28); those invited to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb are blessed (Rev 19:9). Ultimately, those who trust in Christ and grow to become like Him are blessed. This was true in the Old Testament as well. The character and behavior of Israel was to be a reflection of God to all the other nations. As such the priests were instructed to pray God’s Blessing over the people as part of their formal duties. It wasn’t just praying for the people, there was a specific blessing provided by God for the people that we will study in this week’s lesson.

Subject Text

Numbers 6:22-27

            ²²The LORD said to Moses, ²³“Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: ²⁴The LORD bless you and keep you; ²⁵the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; ²⁶the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.’” ²⁷“So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

Context

            In our subject text, Israel has still not taken possession of the Promised Land. At this particular point in the Book of Numbers, God is still providing Moses with instructions for the way the people are to live in relationship to one another going forward generally but specifically when they take possession of the Land. More importantly, however, God is providing Moses with detailed instructions for the religious leadership. The religious leaders; the priests, would be the touch-point for God and God’s people. The priests would be the vehicle God would use to lead the people to experience Him, know Him and worship Him. God would also use these same priests to bless the people with God’s Blessing.

Text Analysis

            Some Pastors are sincerely trying to develop new ways to communicate the Gospel more clearly and edify the people sitting in their church pews while others burn the candle at both ends developing new and ever-better ways to entertain the people watching from more comfortable auditorium seating. I have no way of knowing if their motivation is God-centered or self-centered. However, I’m going to assume, perhaps naively, that most of them are looking for ways to bless the people who have been given to their care. The question is: How? Vv. 22-23 introduce the Aaronic Priesthood, “Aaron and his sons,” to the precise model for that blessing. Note that the text doesn’t specifically say that it is the only way for the priests to bless the people. However, it is a specific blessing given by God and the means to insure that the blessing remains God-centered and doesn’t become priest-centered. In other words, God is making sure that the people know that He is the one blessing them not the priests—the priests were mediators; the vehicle through which God will bless the people. “The Aaronic benediction shows God ready to bless (empower, make productive), to favor his people with his presence, and to give them peace…Behind the description of the mediatorial role lies the understanding of a significant distance between people and deity, but also of Yahweh’s desire for contact and involvement.”[1] God’s Blessing is always, always, always about God and should never be confused with the role of any religious leader no matter how popular, prominent, influential or charismatic that religious leader might be. Religious leaders are only mediators of God’s Blessing. Unfortunately, the history of Israel’s leadership makes it clear that the focus became less and less about God’s Blessing and more and more about the blessing from the religious leadership. In other words, it eventually became more important for the people to seek the blessing and approval of the religious leadership than the approval of God and God’s Blessing. Sound familiar?

            Although God’s people, specifically the Priesthood, had the authority to pronounce blessings and curses, the power underlying all blessings and curses came directly from God. This is reflected in v. 24 seeking God’s favor and provision in general. “This pericope relates to blessing not in terms of particular benefits such as fertility or prosperity, but to a continuing harmonious relationship with the Lord in which he protected them, was gracious to them, endowed them with his presence, and favor and granted them peace.”[2] V. 24 reiterates that blessings, although communicated by people in this case the priests, come from “the Lord.” Again, we have a tendency to lose sight of this because of the celebrity status of our present-day religious leaders. This is part of the reason behind the specific language of our subject text. The focus is always God, God’s will and God’s love for his people.

            The text becomes more personal in v. 25 describing God as a light that shines into the darkness of our lives. Furthermore, in the midst of the biblical text beginning in Leviticus, continuing in Numbers and culminating in Deuteronomy we see chapter after chapter of laws, rules, regulations, principles and practices for Israel’s life in relationship with God, each other and those of neighboring nations. However, we see something else; something the people will always need if they have any hope of being consistently obedient to God’s instructions—God’s grace. “Likening God to light, is characteristic of the biblical picture of God (cf. Pss. 31:16; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19). When God smiles on his people, they can be sure that he will be gracious to them, that is, he will deliver them from their enemies, sickness and sin.”[3] If we could just take a step back, we’ll see something in this verse and the next one that points straight to Jesus. Jesus describes himself as the Light of the world (Jn 8:12) and the cross of salvation is the stark symbol of God’s ultimate act of grace toward humanity. In Jesus Christ we see the reality of God’s face shining upon us as He makes his physical presence known to us and we are blessed by His graciousness in allowing us to be in His presence through Christ.

            There is a very specific trajectory to our subject text, what began as a general request for blessing in v. 24, continued on a more personal level in v. 25 as we seek God’s light to shine on our lives and his graciousness to uphold and sustain us, now moves to describe an intimate relationship in v. 26 as the text asks specifically for God to move toward us relationally. The text should probably be translated as: “the Lord lift up His face toward you…”. This translation is probably more accurate and provides a picture of God holding you up in His arms much like a loving father might lift his child over his head. God “lifts up His face” as He holds you up with divine joy. Can I just say that the thought of this nearly brings me to tears. This was not my experience with my own father who was more likely to crack me over the head with something and look down on me then he ever would have been to lift me up over his head and lift his face with joy toward me. As a result, this image places a longing in my heart after God that is difficult to express and even harder to explain. This is my favorite image of God—a loving, doting, caring and compassion father who will stop at nothing to demonstrate His love for me; and someone I affectionately refer to as “Papi.” There is a deep peace that comes with this relationship; a healing peace. A peace that reaches deep into our hearts and souls; a peace that says everything will be alright; a peace that says we are now safe in the arms of someone who will do anything and everything necessary to take care of us. This is like the father who comes home early from work just so he can meet you at the bus stop after school; the father who lies awake at night trying to balance all aspects of life in order to be fully present to his children; the father who in one moment will have a game of catch with his son and the next moment play dress-up with his daughter; the father who will spend time and money to do what his child wants before insisting on doing what he wants; the father who disciplines in love not anger; the father who earns love and respect from his children through his personal sacrifice and love for them; the father who never stops being a father even when his child believes he is unnecessary; the father who will give his own life if it means life for his child. This is my image of God in v. 26 of our subject text. As with our last verse, this verse also points to Christ. Through Jesus Christ, God literally came face-to-face with his children (Col 1:15). Furthermore, Jesus brought peace that was disrupted in our hearts and souls as a result of sin and a way back from our separation from God because of that sin. Our sinful nature is at war with God’s holiness and Jesus is the instrument of peace in that war (Eph 2:13-18). It is for this reason that he is called the Prince of Peace (Isa 9:6-7). “The Old Testament anticipated, and the New Testament confirmed, that God’s peace would be mediated through a messiah. Peace with God came through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.”[4]

            V. 27 can be difficult to understand at first but it is important to remember that the purpose of our subject text is that the priests are conveying God’s Blessing and placing his name on the Israelites; His name stamps the blessing with His authority. “The point is that by pronouncing the divine name in the statements of the benediction, the priests opened the door to the granting of blessing by God. God must be invoked by name; the request of God must call upon him by name.”[5] This principle continues in the New Testament as well as Peter makes clear that there is only one way to salvation—Jesus Christ—there is no other “name” under heaven given to men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). For a better understanding about the significance of God’s name in Jesus Christ, you can access a previous lesson titled, What’s In A Name? at: http://seredinski.blogspot.com/2013/04/whats-in-name.html. Ultimately, the priests were required to pray God’s Blessing over the people and sign it with His name.

Application

            Unless you attend a synagogue you may never have had your priest or pastor pray this blessing over you. Therefore, I would like to introduce you to this very beautiful ceremony.

            Traditionally, the priest recited the blessing every morning after the sacrifice in the Temple. Today, many synagogues use the blessing as a service-ending benediction. When the priest recites the blessing, his hands are raised with his palms facing the people and his fingers forming the Hebrew letter Shin which is a symbol for Shaddai (“All-Mighty One”). The illustration above is a rough representation of what that would look like.

            Technically, the people were not supposed to look at anything specifically during the blessing. They were supposed to bow their heads and look at the ground to avoid being distracted by the priest. Jewish tradition records that during the days when the blessing was recited in the Temple, God’s light (v. 25) would shine on the fingers of the priests as they blessed the people. No one was permitted to look out of respect for God’s divine presence.

            Below is the Hebrew transliteration of the Birkat Kohanim (Hb. “Priestly Blessing”) as well as the English translation. Also included is the recitation of the blessing in song by Evan Levine. I would love for you to learn this in the Hebrew as well. I realize that this is now two weeks in a row that I am challenging you to learn a portion of the original Hebrew text but it is really beautiful. Nevertheless, that was not the primary purpose of this lesson. What I hoped for out of this lesson was the opportunity to pray God’s Blessing over you. However, since that is difficult to do in this forum, I want to use the priestly blessing as sung by Evan Levine to do it for me. Please take a moment to prepare your heart, mind and soul to receive God’s Blessing with all the love that is intended. Please be blessed in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

V. 24

ye va re khe kha   Adonai   ve yish me re kha

The Lord bless you and keep you;

v. 25

ya ’ er   Adonai   pa nav   e ley kha   vi chun ne ka

The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;

v. 26

yi sa   Adonai   pa nav   e ley kha   ve ya sem   le kha   sha lom

The Lord lift his face toward you and give you peace.

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[1] Willem A. VanGemeren, New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis, Vol. 4, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1997), pp. 986; 988.

[2] T. Desmond Alexander & David W. Baker, eds., Dictionary of the Old Testament Pentateuch, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003), p. 85.

[3] Gordon J. Wenham, Numbers—Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1981), p. 102.

[4] Walter A. Elwell, ed., Baker Theological Dictionary of the Bible, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1996), p. 597.

[5] Baruch A. Levine, Numbers 1-20—The Anchor Bible, (New York, NY: Doubleday, 1993), p. 228.

The Shema

Introduction

            I think I’ve confessed to you that one of the reasons I use the NIV version of the Bible for my lessons is because my copy is very important to me personally. I have many notes in the margins and in the blank back pages. Many of the notes are textual clarifications. However, many of the notes are written specifically with my two girls in mind. Also included in the back are important pictures, letters and notes I have received from them, my wife and other special people in my life. There is also a faded copy of a second-grade astronomy test from my oldest daughter who is now a college senior. I kept it because of the way she answered one of the questions. The question reads: “Describe how a star is born.” She answered: “God made them in the sky.” She got it wrong (hail the all-knowing public school system {read: sarcasm}). I kept it because it was the first time that what I taught her smashed head-on into the teaching of the world. It wouldn’t be the last time either. In any event, reading over that elementary school test and looking at some of the pictures I keep in my Bible reminded me of all the times I told them stories about God when we were together. We talked about God as we walked to and from school. We talked about God when we drove somewhere in the car. We talked about God when we played in the yard or at the park. We talked about God during bath-time and at bedtime. I got to thinking about it—we talked about God all the time. And you know what? We still do now that they are grown up. They are very natural children of God and it warms my heart every time they talk to me about the strength of their faith, the struggles of their faith and their desire to always go deeper in their relationship with God and be obedient followers of Jesus Christ. It made me think about the way Hebrew fathers not just interacted with their children but the way they were commanded by God to instruct them. Hebrew fathers and mothers introduced their children at a very early age to The Shema which in Hebrew means “Hear.” The Shema is a beautiful Hebrew prayer found in the Book of Deuteronomy and was one of the very first things children, particularly boys, were required to memorize. One of the things I tried to reinforce in my own children is that Christianity is not so much what we do as it is who we are and The Shema is the perfect Hebrew representation of that principle.

Subject Text

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

¹These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, ²so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. ³Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, promised you. ⁴Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. ⁵Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. ⁷Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Context

            When Moses references the commands, decrees and laws he was directed to teach the people, it wasn’t what follows our subject text but what precedes it. In Chapter 5 we again find the Ten Commandments originally given to Moses during their Exodus from Egypt (Ex 20). It wasn’t enough to reiterate the paramount importance of the Ten Commandments and all of the other directives given by God, Moses tells the people that they are to incorporate them into the everyday events of their lives implicitly and explicitly—talk about them all the time; keep them close; write them down and post them where they will always be a reminder. This instruction is contained in The Shema! The ancient Hebrew religious tradition was primarily passed along orally. Therefore, it was not unusual for large portions of the Torah to be memorized. However, memorizing The Shema was not optional. You could say that The Shema was the Hebrew Pledge of Allegiance and was required to be recited twice a day—once in the evening and once in the morning (cf. “talk about them when you lie down and when you get up”).

Text Analysis

            Vv. 1-2 indicate that the Israelites are still being led by Moses and have still not crossed over the Jordan to take possession of the Promised Land. Moses tells them that God has directed him to teach the people to observe all of God’s obstructions as the way and means to live in the Promised Land. “The purpose of this discourse on the law is not primarily to inform the Israelites, but rather to form them spiritually.”[1] By passing God’s instructions on to their children and the succeeding generations, it would become their heritage. Ultimately, it wouldn’t just be something they did, it would become who they were. The principle is simple, if we hear or repeat something often enough and for long enough, it becomes a natural part of who we are. And in this case, God is teaching them who they were always supposed to be—children of God.

            God had a very specific plan of prosperity in store for the Israelites when they took possession of the Land. Their responsibility was to obey God’s instructions. V. 3 is a basic conditional clause saying that “if” the Israelites obeyed everything God commanded, “then” they would receive all the blessings God has promised them. “The orientation of the exhortations is consistently toward the future life of Israel in the Promised Land, not only in the present generation but in those to come.”[2] Think about how easy it should have been, but we know from history that they failed time and again to follow God’s instructions resulting in hardships, famine, death, military conquests by neighboring nations and the destruction of their city, more than once. Was it because God’s commands where too comprehensive and complex or was it because humanity insists on being in charge. Adam and Eve were given one command—don’t eat from the tree in the middle of the Garden. Simple enough yet we see how well that worked {read: sarcasm}.

            V. 4 is the opening verse of The Shema and it is the line in the sand differentiating Israel from the surrounding nations. The monotheism announced in v. 4 was rare in the Ancient Near East. Most, if not all, other nations practiced polytheism. The English doesn’t really capture the full sense of the Hebrew in v. 4. The sense does not just convey the explicit theology that God is one but the implicit theology that there is no other God. “The word used for ‘one’ is the numeral—literally, ‘The LORD our God, the LORD, one.’ At the same time, Deut. 6:4f. does exclude any concept of polytheism, for God is not many but one. Above all, there is an exclusiveness about Yahweh which demands total love (loyalty, commitment, dedication) from his people…The name ‘monolatry’ (worship of one god) is sometimes given to the early Israelite view, since it does not explicitly deny the existence of other gods. However, both monotheism and monolatry are philosophical concepts, and the Israelites do not appear to have been speculative philosophers. They did not conjecture about God. They knew him from their experiences with him. God had delivered them from Egypt and, consequently, demanded their complete devotion. Their faith was the result of experience and not the conclusion of abstract logic.”[3]

            This is the verse so many use to refute the Christian claim of not only the divinity of Jesus Christ but the inclusion of the Holy Spirit within the Triune Godhead of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. However, Trinitarianism is not contradictory to monotheism. While it may be difficult to understand, it is not inconsistent. For a more thorough understanding of the Trinity, please see my previous lessons on the topic. You can access those lessons at: http://seredinski.blogspot.com/2011/12/defending-trinity-pt-1.html, http://seredinski.blogspot.com/2011/12/defending-trinity-pt-2.html, and http://seredinski.blogspot.com/2011/12/defending-trinity-pt-3-conclusion.html.

            When the religious leaders asked Jesus which commandment he considered to be the greatest, v. 5 is the one he identified (Mt 22:36-40). To which Jesus adds the second greatest commandment that we are to love each other as we love ourselves. Jesus claims that all of God’s laws and the message conveyed by the Prophets can be summarized by these two commandments. We can see this principle specifically in the Ten Commandments as the first four commandments are God-centered and the last six are people-centered. V. 5 is trying to convey the sense that we are to love God with every fiber of our being. This love is not to be a passing fancy or hobby. Instead, we are called to be in a love-relationship with God. Many see the relationship between God and humanity as comprised of commandments, laws, and rules. However, this has never been the case. That’s not to say it didn’t or hasn’t become that, but that was and is the fault of poor teaching by religious leaders. The first thing identified in our subject text is the singularity of God and the second thing is the call to be in a love-relationship with Him. Obedience to all other laws and commandments, while not optional, should be a natural response to that love-relationship. “Moses highlights the intensity of this commitment with a triad of qualifiers, which the NIV renders as ‘with all your heart and with all your soul and will all your strength.’ The rendering is traditional, but it is somewhat misleading and obscures the profundity of this statement.”[4]

            Specifically, the Hebrew word for “heart” metaphorically conveys the idea of being the center of a person’s emotions and will. However, the word also refers to a person’s “mind” which is the center of a person’s thoughts. The Hebrew word for “soul” is used metaphorically in a variety of ways. In a raw sense it means “throat/gullet.” However, it is used metaphorically to describe “appetite/desire,” or “life,” or a “living being,” or the “whole self,” or even a corpse. In v. 5 the sense being conveyed is the “whole self” or “our entire being.” Finally, the Hebrew word for “strength” can also be translated as “power” and is sometimes used adverbially to mean “greatly, exceedingly.” However, the best translation for v. 5 is probably “resources,” which includes our strength but is not limited to our strength. Instead, our “resources” includes our physical strength, our financial strength, our social strength, our political strength and extends to include the strength of our possessions. In essence, the sense of v. 5 is that we are to love God emotionally and thoughtfully; with every part of who we are; and with all our personal and impersonal resources.

            The instruction in v. 6 that God’s commands are to be “upon your hearts” can be a little difficult to understand. We just got finished learning about loving God with our whole “heart” so what does it mean to have the commandments “upon your hearts?” With the understanding of “heart” from above, “Deuteronomy 6:6 is part of a strong stream of OT teaching that calls for the internalizing of the law in the heart, i.e., at the center of a person’s mind, will, and character.”[5] V. 6 is part of the process of becoming the people God intends them to become. Remember the goal is incorporating God’s commands so thoroughly in their lives so that what they believe and practice is actually who they become.

            When v. 7 says that they were to “impress” them [God’s commands] on their children, imagine leaving an “impression” in soft clay or wax and you begin to get to the sense of the text here. What is one thing you have heard about children? You’ve probably even said it yourself a few times when it comes to exposing children to something harmful. Children are very…impressionable! V. 7 is where the tradition began of the recitation of The Shema twice a day. “By reflecting on the commandments, they were reflecting on God’s words; and by understanding the path of life set down by the commandments, they would at the same time be discovering the way in which God’s love for them was given expression. Having understood the commandments for themselves, the people were then responsible for their children.”[6]

            Have you ever made notes to yourself as a reminder of something you needed to do or remember to buy? The point is that if we write something down and keep it with us or stick it on the refrigerator or on our bedroom mirror where we see it all the time, it is less likely that we will forget. The instruction in vv. 8-9 is really no different. It is difficult to discern from the text if the instruction to tie the commandments as symbols around their wrists and to their foreheads (frontlet/phylactery) was meant to be taken literally or, similarly, if they were literally required to write them on their doorposts and entry gates (Hb mezuzah). “Whether or not the words here were intended in a metaphorical sense, they came to be taken literally in subsequent Jewish history. The frontlet, or phylactery, came into use as a small container for a parchment containing certain biblical verses. Though the actual texts vary slightly, the standard texts used were Exod 13:1-10, 11-16; Deut 6:4-9; 11:13-21; and sometimes the Decalogue [Ten Commandments]…The mezuzah also came into use as a small box containing parchment, one of which was discovered at Qumran containing the text of Deut 10:12-11:21.”[7]

            Ultimately, the trajectory of The Shema is that God and his commands were to flood every part of the lives of the Israelites. They were to study God’s commands, talk about them at every opportunity, write them down so they didn’t forget them and post them so that those who enter their homes or city understand that everything about their life, privately and publicly, revolves around God and his wise commandments. “As the custom of repeating The Shema developed over the centuries, the Jewish community came to view its recitation as a distinct means by which individuals are able to bear witness to the essence of Jewish belief…Boys were required to memorize The Shema as soon as they could speak. Martyrs and those on their death beds have also made proclamation of The Shema a practice…Thus, from early childhood to the moment of death, Jews are taught to bear witness to the oneness of God’s name. This central theological strand—the acknowledgement of one Supreme Ruler—is brought to its climax in the messianic age. At that time, ‘The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name’ (Zech 14:9).”[8] For a better understanding of this theological trajectory surrounding the name of the LORD, Jesus, you can access a previous lesson called, What’s In A Name at: http://seredinski.blogspot.com/2013/04/whats-in-name.html.

Application

            As I’ve mentioned before, I grew up Catholic and for all its faults, one of the things I appreciate about Catholicism is its focus on repetition. Of course they take it to extremes where nothing is original about their Mass, but at least they practice the recitation of some creeds that embody their theological framework. In fact, I use one of those creeds, The Nicene Creed, as the Statement of Faith for this ministry. Unfortunately, Evangelicals generally have an irrational disdain for creeds as a knee-jerk reaction against Catholicism’s unbiblical reverence of them. There is nothing unbiblical about creeds, in and of themselves. The only thing unbiblical about them is how they are used. As a proclamation for the framework of a theological system of belief they are perfect. Elevating them to some divine significance takes them beyond their proper theological place. In the place of creeds, Evangelicals emphasize Scripture memorization. I am a huge proponent of Scripture memorization. However, memorizing the English translation, especially of the Old Testament, can be difficult. The words maintain their theological significance but the language, compared to the Hebrew, loses much of its rhythm and beauty that lends to the ease of memorization. One of the first things we were required to do in Hebrew class at Seminary was to memorize The Shema. I encourage you to memorize as many Scripture verses as possible—memorize the entire Bible for that matter if you can. However, I’d like to teach you The Shema in Hebrew so you can memorize and enjoy just this small bit of Scripture in its original language. At a minimum, the first verse is sung. The entire thing can be sung but the first verse is generally always sung. I have included the words below transliterated so you can read them from left to right instead of the Hebrew which is read from right to left that way it will be easy to follow along in the English which I have included as well. I have recorded it for you to hear how the words are pronounced so you can follow along and practice. Once you’ve done it a few times, you’ll see how the rhythm of the words make memorization in the Hebrew much easier. Once you have mastered it, teach it to your children. If you don’t have any children, teach it to at least one friend or to someone else’s children. Have fun!!!

The Shema—Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Sh'ma  Yis'ra'eil  Adonai  Eloheinu  Adonai  echad. Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord is one.

V'ahav'ta  eit  Adonai  Elohekha  b'khol  l'vav'kha  uv'khol  naf'sh'kha  uv'khol  m'odekha. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

V'hayu  had'varim  ha'eileh  asher  anokhi  m'tzav'kha  hayom  al  l'vavekha. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.

V'shinan'tam  l'vanekha  v'dibar'ta  bam Impress them on your children. Talk about them

b'shiv't'kha  b'veitekha  uv'lekh't'kha  vaderekh  uv'shakh'b'kha  uv'kumekha when you sit at home, and when you walk along the road, and when you lie down and when you get up.

Uk'shar'tam  l'ot  al  yadekha v'hayu  l'totafot  bein  einekha. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.

Ukh'tav'tam  al  m'zuzot  beitekha  uvish'arekha. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

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[1] Bill T. Arnold and Bryan E. Beyer, Encountering The Old Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999), p. 146.

[2] T. Desmond Alexander & David W. Baker, ed., Dictionary of the Old Testament Pentateuch, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003), p. 183.

[3] William Sanford Lasor, David Allan Hubbard, Frederick William Bush, The Message, Form, and Background of the Old Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1996), p. 119.

[4] Daniel I. Block, Deuteronomy—The NIV Application Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), p. 183.

[5] Christopher Wright, Deuteronomy—New International Biblical Commentary, (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1996), p. 100.

[6] Peter C. Craigie, The Book of Deuteronomy, (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1976), p. 170.

[7] Duane L. Christensen, Deuteronomy 1-11—Word Biblical Commentary, (Dallas, TX: Word Books, 1991), p. 144.

[8] Willem A. VanGemeren, gen. ed., New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis, Vol. 4, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1997), p. 1217.

Do Not Be Deceived!

Introduction

I don’t know about you but the images that have come out of Syria this week have really been heartbreaking. If men, women and children killed by chemical weapons wasn’t bad enough, Syrian rebels treated us to the live execution of seven men on their knees pleading for their lives right before being shot in the back of the head. It couldn’t get any worse could it? Well of course it could! Muslims took full advantage of the country’s civil upheaval (as though they needed an excuse) to attack and kill Christians and destroy their homes and villages. I’ve watched our President flopping around like a fish out of water trying to figure out how to save face after puffing out his chest and making a juvenile threat, while some of his adoring fans still insist that he will be our savior. Some even consider him to be a messiah. I can’t even begin to tell you how disgusted I am by that! Meanwhile, the evil blood-lust of Islam under the influence of a false prophet is like a raging, insatiable fire far too dangerous to be trifled with. When I got a message from a friend who faithfully prays for me and my ministry, exasperated by the events of the world and the struggles of life and faith, I got to thinking about something she said to me—she said “I’m ready for Jesus to come.” I am blessed to have many sincere believers in my life and I’ll bet if I asked them, that same desire would not be far from their lips. I don’t claim to be an end-times expert and Jesus says no one knows the day or time of the end. Nevertheless, I know what is knowable without the need to postulate as to what may or may not be the definitive final word about end-time events. Furthermore, apocalyptic literature is extremely complex and includes short, medium and long-term fulfillment with few definitive proclamations. It often includes cryptic symbolism combined with definitive realism that can be difficult to distinguish between. I find that apocalyptic literature more often leaves me with more questions than it answers. Nevertheless, I’m like any other child who is on an unknown journey—I want to know, “When will we be there?” It made me think about something Jesus said to his disciples when they asked him a similar question. How does Jesus’ response to the disciples correspond to the events of our own day? Evil and pompous national leaders around the world; nations constantly at war with other nations; false, self-proclaimed prophets preaching a religion of hate and death; man-made and natural famines and various other natural disasters; and Christians are butchered and hated around the world. This is a very important time in our history with many constantly moving elements. It can be confusing and there will always deceivers ready to prey on the fears and desperation of those who are blind to the truth. Therefore, we would be well served to heed the words of Jesus when he says Do Not Be Deceived!

Subject Text

Matthew 24:3-14

            ³As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” ⁴Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. ⁵For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. ⁶You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. ⁷Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸All these are the beginning of birth pains. ⁹Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. ¹⁰At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, ¹¹and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. ¹²Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, ¹³but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. ¹⁴And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Context

            If we go back to Chapters 21 and 22, we see Jesus advancing toward the pinnacle of His earthly ministry as he rides into Jerusalem on the back of a colt on Palm Sunday to the praise of an adoring crowd. Upon His arrival at the Temple, driven by the fury of righteous indignation at the commercialization of the Temple, Jesus single-handedly drives out the vendors and money changers. He then takes his rightful place as the Master of the Temple and begins to teach the people, fulfilling the prophecy in Isaiah 54:13. Jesus teaches about prayer; about obedience; about persistent unbelief; about God’s rejection of those who reject His invitation to be in relationship with His Son; about paying taxes; about what relationships will be like after the Resurrection; about God’s Commandments; and about His own divinity. Chapter 23 is then dedicated to the criticism of the religious leaders’ hypocrisy, corruption and unbelief—They have led the people astray and an exasperated Jesus is trying to undo the damage they have done. However, Israel has been on their trajectory of disobedience and unbelief since the time of the Prophets who were killed for their efforts to turn the people’s hearts back to God, and Jesus didn’t seem to be advancing that cause any farther than did the Prophets of old. Consequently, we see Him at the end of Chapter 23 grieving—weeping— over Jerusalem for their persistent unbelief in the face of countless attempts made by God through the Prophets and now through the Son to get the people to turn back to Him. But the people and their religious leaders had the Temple and their religious system so they really had no cause for concern that they were in any trouble. However, Jesus knew better. As He left the Temple with His disciples, He called attention to the Temple structure and informed them that a day would come when it would be completely destroyed. Since their religious system revolved around the Temple, it’s no surprise that they believed such a monumental event would mark the end of their age. So the disciples wanted to know when to expect to see such a cataclysmic event come to pass. Even though Jesus goes on to describe the run-up of events that signal the end of time as we know it, He never identifies precisely when that will be and, in fact, warns them against being deceived by anyone who might prey on their fears in the face of such dire coming events.

Text Analysis

            You have to stop and imagine what the disciples were thinking and feeling when Jesus told them a time was coming when the Temple would be destroyed. We have a tendency to breeze over it because we know it would come to pass. Furthermore, it wouldn’t be the first time the Temple was destroyed. Remember the Temple was destroyed the first time in 586 B.C. by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar who burned the Temple and every other significant building in Jerusalem to the ground. It would be 70 years before the Temple was rebuilt by Israel with the consent of the Persian king Cyrus who conquered Babylon. For Israel, the destruction of the Temple signified the destruction of their identity which is why the Prophets of that age were so obsessed with Israel’s return to the Land and the reconstruction of the Temple. If you want to know the full impact of Jesus’ words to the disciples, imagine someone you trust telling you that the central identity of your nation will be destroyed. What would be your first words? I know what mine would be—“When is this going to happen?” and that’s exactly what the disciples asked Jesus in v. 3. However, it is important to note that they recognized the destruction of the Temple as an apocalyptic event and believed it would inaugurate Jesus’ return. “Not daring to dispute His prophetic insight, they accepted the fate predicted for Jerusalem, and now desire to know the when and how…The questioners took for granted that all three things went together: destruction of temple, advent of Son of Man, end of the current age.”[1]

            In reply, the first thing Jesus says in v. 4 is Do Not Be Deceived! Why? Jesus knows that evil people will pray on the confusion, fear, and ignorance of people during times of distress. Jesus tells them in vv. 5; 11 that false prophets would arise and some would even falsely claim to be the Christ or Messiah. No doubt the disciples probably weren’t too concerned about that possibility since they were personal eyewitnesses of Jesus. But Jesus foresaw something that only history would reveal as a fulfillment of His warning and we need look no farther than those among us who claim that America’s President is a modern-day messianic figure. Of course most of us recognize this as utter lunacy, but let’s not pretend that many people actually believe this. Furthermore, how many more have been deceived by prominent, charismatic charlatans laying claim to divine understanding and authority—Mohammed gave us our modern-day Muslims, Joseph Smith gave us Mormons, Charles Taze Russell gave us Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mary Baker Eddy gave us Christian Science, Jim Jones gave us the Peoples Temple, David Koresh gave us Waco’s version of the Branch Davidians. In each of these cases, the leaders were and are elevated to divine or near divine status—prophets; messiah-like figures. In fact, those who demean Mohammed are condemned by Muslims in the same way as those who demean God. “The death toll under Jones and Koresh, incidentally, serves as a helpful rebuttal to those who claim that all religions are the same and it matters not what one believes.”[2] However, the disciples and their contemporaries wouldn’t be familiar with any of these people. Nevertheless, it would be no different during their era because during the first century many deceivers would arise (see Acts 5:36-37; 8:9-11; 2 Timothy 3; 2 Peter 2; 1 John 2:18; 4:1-3).

            When we, especially Americans, read vv. 6-7a, we tend to understand them from the standpoint of being a world super-power. We constantly see wars and civil uprisings around the world but don’t really concern ourselves with them because we generally feel pretty safe within the borders of our own country. However, imagine being a small country with a history of being conquered by various super-powers vying for world domination while currently being occupied by another such super-power. That would be the lens through which the disciples heard Jesus’ words. However, as devastating as war can be for any nation during any time, Jesus tells them not to be alarmed because such events are necessary precursors to the end. “The horror and human suffering connected with war are bound to raise eschatological thoughts—and they have indeed throughout history—yet the disciples must realize that these terrible events…do not in themselves signal the end. Accordingly, the disciples should not be unduly ‘disturbed’ by these events…Behind, ‘it is necessary for [these things] to happen,’ lies the Jewish concept of the absolute sovereignty of God in the affairs of the world…Despite what appears to point to the reality of eschatological judgment, ‘the end is not yet.’”[3]

            When reading vv. 7b-8, it is important to remember that all of creation has been impacted by sin. Wars, uprisings, famines, and earthquakes are symptoms of something insidious—sin! However, they are also signs pointing to something greater. Just as “birth pangs” implies an impending birth and not the birth itself, “The Jews use the phrase to signify the time of unprecedented trouble which was to precede the Messianic salvation.”[4] As we are well aware, countless wars, uprisings, famines, and earthquakes have been a historical fact since Jesus spoke those words, so what are we to make of them as a sign of things to come? “The baby does not come on the first pang, but once the pains begin, all know that the inexorable process has commenced. We do not know if the baby will come on the fifth, the fifteenth, the fiftieth, or the five hundredth. Periods of wars and rumors of wars, tragic earthquakes, and famines wash over the landscape of history in repeated pains. Each reminds us that the end is coming, but no one knows when until the Son of Man appears. Throughout the labor we must remain on guard…The metaphor indicates the inescapability of the sequence of events once the process begins and also the repetitive nature of the wave of pain until the end.”[5]

            If the prospect of war, famine and earthquakes isn’t enough to give a person pause, Jesus turns up the heat in vv. 9-10. Jesus tells them that they, and by extension believers in general, will be hated, persecuted and ultimately some will be put to death. However, when trouble comes, some will turn their backs on what they once believed to be true and turn to a life of betrayal and hatred. “To believe in Jesus and stay strong to the end will take perseverance because our faith will be challenged and opposed. Severe trials will sift true Christians from phony believers. Jesus warned that such severe persecution may lead to the defection of some members. The fear and persecution will be so intense that people will betray and hate each other in order to keep themselves safe. It will be dangerous to be a Christian.”[6]

            V. 12 can be difficult to understand as Jesus introduces a new idea to his train of teaching—wickedness. To compound the difficulty of this verse, when Jesus says that the “love of most will grow cold,” is he referring to love for people or love for God? Well, to answer this question we need to read these words in the context of what precedes them and what follows them. We can really break this down into two identifiable categories—the category of “wickedness” and the category of “love.” Within the category of wickedness we can place, “wars;” “uprisings;” “famine;” “earthquakes;” “false messiahs;” “false prophets;” “hatred;” “persecution;” and “martyrdom.” In the category of love we can place, “humanity’s failing love for one another;” and “humanity’s failing love for God.” Jesus is saying that the latter, failing love leading to spiritual death, is the result of the former, wickedness. “The chief characteristic of spiritual death is that it causes love to grow cold. Jesus emphasized throughout his ministry that love is not primarily an emotion but is an active commitment to God and to others to promote God’s will (cf. 5:43-47). Those who are spiritually dead cannot produce this kind of love, which reemphasizes that these apostates never knew God at all.”[7] Don’t miss something critical and somber in v.12. Jesus doesn’t say, “quite a few people,” or “lots of people,” or “many people” will turn away. Jesus says that “most” people will turn away! I suggest you take a moment to think about that. There is a reason that Jesus warned that His way is a narrow path that few would be able to follow—true discipleship is really hard, costly, and dangerous. Ultimately, belief in Christ will ask for everything from all of us and from some of us it will even ask for our lives.

            Nevertheless, we are to stand firm in our faith in order to receive our ultimate reward of salvation. This can be difficult to accept for those who believe that once you’ve accepted Christ, your salvation ticket is punched and you’re in regardless of what you do thereafter. However, Jesus makes clear in v. 13 that only those whose faith endures to the end will be saved. “The disciples are not to lose their zeal under the pressure of events, especially when anti-Christian forces gain control even in the church and the widespread rejection of God’s law makes life unbearable.”[8]

            I remember when I first fell in love with my wife, we worked in the same building and I can’t even begin to tell you how many excuses I used to be able to walk by where she worked just so I could see her and maybe have a chance to talk to her. When we were schedule to go out together, the much anticipated date couldn’t arrive soon enough for me—I just wanted to be with her. What does this have to do with our subject text? Note that at the top of this website you will see the Mission Statement for this ministry. It is known as Jesus’ Great Commission instructing his followers to go and make disciples of all nations. My motivation to make this the mission for this ministry is only in part because of my desire to be obedient. My primary motivation is love, and v. 14 is the companion verse to Jesus’ Great Commission that drives me. I confess that I want to be with Jesus and I will do whatever it takes to fulfill my part of the obligation to preach the Gospel to the whole world in order to achieve that goal. I know I can’t do it all, but I can do the part I have been call to do. “Jesus does not say that every individual on earth will hear the gospel and certainly not that all who hear will respond appropriately, but he does seem to indicate that the gospel, summed up as the message of the kingdom, will be proclaimed widely throughout the known world, that is, to representative areas and people groups across the globe.”[9]

Application

            We see the correlation of our subject text with the events or our own day and our senses are immediately heightened to the possibility that Christ’s return is imminent. Some even go so far as to take advantage of the events of our day to exploit the hopes of those longing for Christ’s return and the fear of those seeking to avoid the final Judgment. To this I want to say Do Not Be Deceived! “The period of time prior to Christ’s return will be characterized by a growing polarization between good and evil. God’s people will increase in power, witness, and impact in the world, even as persecutions and hostility intensify and global conditions deteriorate.”[10] There is something important to remember about the events described by Jesus in our subject text, the conditions for Christ’s return were all fulfilled prior to 70 A.D.! Let me demonstrate: Messianic charlatans did, in fact, arise with the most notable being Theudas as recorded in Acts 5:36. First century historian Josephus describes other messianic imposters as well (Ant. 20.97-99, 160-72, 188); the war between Israel and Rome began in 66-67 A.D. and was preceded by Zealot uprisings throughout the region; Judea was staggering under the weight of an intense famine as predicted in Acts 11:27-30 around the period of 45-47 A.D. according to Josephus; Laodicea and Pompeii were rocked by earthquakes in 60-61 A.D. and 62 A.D. respectively; persecution was constantly biting at the heels of believers throughout Acts and internal dissention was tearing apart the church in Corinth; The primary purpose behind a number of New Testament epistles (i.e. Galatians, Colossians, 1 Timothy, 2 Peter, and Jude—all predating 70 A.D.) were a warning against false teachings and false teachers; love was most certainly in short supply during the dark days of Nero’s persecution; and finally Paul could confidently claim that the gospel had gone out to all the known world by the late fifties. All this occurred as Jesus predicted prior to the critical date of 70 A.D. which marks the pinnacle of Jesus prediction—the destruction of the Temple. This leaves us with one very important question—if everything has been fulfilled, why hasn’t Jesus returned? Herein lies the mystery and confusion of apocalyptic writings—the mystery of multiple fulfillments. One of my seminary professors described it to our class like this: Imagine apocalyptic writing like a range of mountains, when you stand close, you see only one line of mountains. However, when you climb to the top of the first line of mountains, you see many more mountain ranges intersecting each other. It is like this with end-time writings, immediate events might indicate a perfect fulfillment of the end time prophecies, but the perspective of time reveals a repetition of events that fulfill the same end time prophecies.

Tricia Tillin uses the illustration of the Russian Babushka dolls to illustrate the same point. A set of Babushka dolls looks complete in itself, but contains a set of perfectly formed dolls that are mirror images of the original doll, diminishing in size so that one fits within the next and all contained within the original doll. Between each doll is a gap; a gap in time. And like the Babushka dolls, you never know when you will reach the last doll until you’re done opening each one. This is why it is so important to remember that no one knows the precise point in time when Christ will return except the Father. Therefore, since we can’t know when Christ will return, we must be motivated by love for one another to the share the Gospel message knowing that each time a prophecy is fulfilled could the last time and the signal for Christ’s return. Furthermore, fear, confusion, trials and tribulations create the perfect environment that false teachers take full advantage of. Finally, cling fast to what you once firmly believed was the truth and Do Not Be Deceived by those who would seek to lead you away from the real and living Christ and the ultimate reward of your salvation.

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[1] W. Robertson Nicoll, ed., The Expositor’s Greek Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1983), pp. 288-289.

[2] Craig S. Keener, Matthew—The IVP New Testament Commentary Series, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1997), p. 345.

[3] Donald A. Hagner, Matthew 14-28—Word Biblical Commentary, (Dallas, TX: Word Books, 1995), p. 691.

[4] Cleon L. Rogers Jr. & Cleon L. Rogers III, The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1998), p. 53.

[5] Michael J. Wilkins, Matthew—The NIV Application Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2004), pp. 773-774.

[6] Bruce Barton, Philip Comfort, Grant Osborne, Linda K. Taylor, Dave Veerman, Life Application New Testament Commentary, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publications, 2001), p. 104.

[7] Wilkins, Matthew, p. 775.

[8] Colin Brown, gen. ed., New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Vol. 1, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1986), p. 733.

[9] Craig L. Blomberg, Matthew—The New American Commentary, (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1992), p. 356.

[10] Ibid., p. 357.