Friday, April 18, 2003

DAYENU

Ilu Hotzi Hotzi Onu

Hotzi Onu Mi'Mitzraim

Hotzi Onu Mi'Mitzraim

Dayenu

These are the Hebrew words of a song during the Passover celebration. The whole song expresses, at the same time, gratitude to God and God's outpouring of grace and goodness. Dayenu: It would have been enough.

  • "Had He only brought us out of Egypt."
  • "Had He only executed justice upon the Egyptians."
  • "Had He only executed justice upon their gods." 
  • "Had He only slain their first born." 
  • "Had He only given to us their wealth." 
  • "Had He only split the sea for us." 
  • "Had He only led us through on dry land." 
  • "Had He only drowned our oppressors." 
  • "Had He only provided for our needs in the wilderness for 40 years." 
  • "Had He only fed us manna." 
  • "Had He only given us Shabbat." 
  • "Had He only led us to Mount Sinai." 
  • "Had He only given us the Torah."
  • "Had He only brought us into the Land of Israel."
  • "Had He only built the Temple for us."

Each verse ends with Dayenu: It would have been enough. Each verse says that God's grace and goodness would have been sufficient, if it had stopped there. Because the song goes on, gratitude grows as God adds grace upon grace.

Messianic Jews have added a verse:

Ilu Notan Notan Lanu

Notan Lanu et Yeshua

Notan Lanu et Yeshua

Dayenu

"Had He only given us Jesus!"

Has God's grace and goodness been capped with Jesus? Paul wrote:

but just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)

There seems to be no end. Yet our contentment requires that we be thankful for all that has come and recognize the sufficiency and generosity behind it. Indeed, it would be enough.

DAYENU

Ilu Hotzi Hotzi Onu

Hotzi Onu Mi'Mitzraim

Hotzi Onu Mi'Mitzraim

Dayenu

These are the Hebrew words of a song during the Passover celebration. The whole song expresses, at the same time, gratitude to God and God's outpouring of grace and goodness. Dayenu: It would have been enough.

  • "Had He only brought us out of Egypt."
  • "Had He only executed justice upon the Egyptians."
  • "Had He only executed justice upon their gods." 
  • "Had He only slain their first born." 
  • "Had He only given to us their wealth." 
  • "Had He only split the sea for us." 
  • "Had He only led us through on dry land." 
  • "Had He only drowned our oppressors." 
  • "Had He only provided for our needs in the wilderness for 40 years." 
  • "Had He only fed us manna." 
  • "Had He only given us Shabbat." 
  • "Had He only led us to Mount Sinai." 
  • "Had He only given us the Torah."
  • "Had He only brought us into the Land of Israel."
  • "Had He only built the Temple for us."

Each verse ends with Dayenu: It would have been enough. Each verse says that God's grace and goodness would have been sufficient, if it had stopped there. Because the song goes on, gratitude grows as God adds grace upon grace.

Messianic Jews have added a verse:

Ilu Notan Notan Lanu

Notan Lanu et Yeshua

Notan Lanu et Yeshua

Dayenu

"Had He only given us Jesus!"

Has God's grace and goodness been capped with Jesus? Paul wrote:

but just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)

There seems to be no end. Yet our contentment requires that we be thankful for all that has come and recognize the sufficiency and generosity behind it. Indeed, it would be enough.

Thursday, April 17, 2003

Passover

Last night was Erev Pesach, the night of Passover. Because Genesis refers to evening and morning, in that order, the Jewish religious days begin at sundown. This year, 2003, the Jewish Passover season and Easter coincide. Last night, I could look at the bright rising full moon, marking Nisan 15, and remember the exodus of the Children of Israel from slavery in Egypt and remember my own exodus from slavery to sin.

Jesus did not invent communion during the last Passover dinner. Rather he took elements that were already part of the meal and connected them with Himself. He did this a lot. He once said, "I am the light of the world." He said this during the Feast of Tabernacles when the tradition was to light huge bon fires on the temple mount.

On this particular Passover night, He took a piece of matzah from a bag containing three. According the Jewish custom, He blessed it, in Hebrew, "BARUCH ATAH ADONAI ELOHENU MELECH HA'OLAM HA-MOTZI LECHEM MIN HA'ERETZ." which means, "Blessed are You Lord our God who brings forth bread from the earth." He was then to pass it around, but on this night He added something, "This is my body." This ritual that the Jews had done for centuries contained, according to Jesus, a picture of His death. Part of this broken matzah was wrapped in a cloth and hidden until the end of the meal, a picture of burial and resurrection.

After dinner, Jesus blessed a cup of wine saying, "BARUCH ATAH ADONAI ELOHENU MELECH HA'OLAM BORAY PRI HAGAFEN," "Blessed are You Lord our God who creates the fruit of the vine." Again, instead of passing the cup around, He first added, "This is the cup of the New Covenant in my blood." This Passover cup, after dinner,  is known as the Cup of Redemption.

When I was a teenager in the 1960's, there were no Messianic Jewish synagogues and Gentile churches did not do Passover. Now, some thirty-five years later, both are common. This is a good and remarkable thing.

All of this is to inform you of a good thing to know and explain, why my Hebrew's post will be delayed. My wife and I are hosting a Passover Seder for some 90 people. I am hoping that, as in many years past, the horseradish root that I prepare is potent enough to send me out of the kitchen gasping for breath; for then, I know, the partakers will shed many symbolic tears over our one time slavery to sin.

Let me leave you with a blessing from Ephesians:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:3-6, NASB)

Shalom

Tuesday, April 15, 2003

Gleanings from Hebrews

Jesus and the New Covenant(1)

This marks the second division of a series that introduces the Book of Hebrews. To start at the beginning, click here.

One very central tenet in Hebrews is the superiority of Jesus and the New Covenant over Moses and the Old. This second section of Gleanings from Hebrews will cover this central message.

The Greatness of the Old Covenant

It is appropriate to begin this section, however, with a strong reminder of how great the Old Covenant was. The New Covenant is not about the good replacing the bad, but a matter of the best superseding the good. So let's take a hard look at this:

Moses Was a Great Man

There is no clearer statement of the greatness of Moses than this:

Since that time no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, for all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, all his servants, and all his land, and for all the mighty power and for all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel. (Deuteronomy 34:10-12, NASB

This is an incredible resume to have:

  • The best that has been.
  • Known by the Lord face to face
  • Signs and wonders
  • Mighty power
  • Great terror

And truly, there is no other candidate in all the history of Israel to match Moses. He was the one who saw the birth of the nation and through the Lord fashioned its constitution and its religious systems.

The Law is a Great Thing

Both the Old and the New Testament attest to the greatness of the Law in terms of revealing God and regulating human conduct:

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. (Psalm 1:1-3)

Far from being defective, the delight of the Law is the source of a well-watered firmly rooted life. This is a great thing.

Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105)

The Law gives light and understanding the human condition. By the Law we can learn and live and avoid the pitfalls of a live and learn approach to life.

“See, I have taught you statutes and judgments just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do thus in the land where you are entering to possess it. “So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the Lord our God whenever we call on Him? Or what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law which I am setting before you today?" (Deuteronomy 4:5-8)

The Law is a means to national greatness because a nation can be full of wise and understanding people.

“This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren.’ “This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness together with the angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received living oracles to pass on to you. (Acts 7:37-38)

The opinion of Stephen in the book of Acts was that the Law consisted of "living oracles." This is not the same as a dead code.

So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. (Romans 7:12)

Paul, the champion of grace, understood the Law to be "holy and righteous and good." 

For those of you made uncomfortable by this section, let me say that the problem addressed by Paul, in Galatians for example, was legalism by which someone seeks justification by the Law. This is impossible and any who try that path walk a path of cursing. Hoever, it is the heart of man and not the Law that fails. For more information, see my paper on the New Covenant in Jeremiah.

The Temple and Its Offerings are Great

The temple was modeled after things Moses saw in heaven:

“Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them. “According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it. (Exodus 25:8-9)

The temple represents the presence of God on the earth:

Splendor and majesty are before Him, Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory of His name; Bring an offering and come into His courts. Worship the Lord in holy attire; Tremble before Him, all the earth. (Psalm 96:6-9)

The tabernacle and then the temple is the place where God established His Name. The offerings in the temple were a way to:

  • Deal with sin and guilt
  • Provide for national atonement
  • Eat a fellowship meal with the Lord
  • Worship God

The Greatness of the Old Covenant

And so it must be said that the Old Covenant with its Moses, tabernacle, offerings, prophets, and literature was God revealing, light giving, wisdom giving, sin covering, and faith inducing. There are many Christians saved by Jesus' blood who have not experienced these wonderful gifts from the Old much less the increased bounty of the New.

Simply put, we must stop thinking of the Old Covenant as somehow bad and awful.

The New is Brighter than the Old

To put the old and the new in perspective imagine a dark room. Light a single candle and the room is no longer dark. You can find your way, avoid obstacles, and read with its light.

Put a white screen behind a lit candle and hit it with a bright beam and you will see the shadow of the flame cast on the screen. That is how a light can be a shadow. This is the sense of Hebrew's message:

For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. (Hebrews 10:1)

A shadow, yes. But it gave light before the greater light came. To acknowledge the greatness of the Old Covenant is to give all the greater glory to the New. Also, according the Jeremiah, the New Covenant consists of the Law being written on our hearts. In other words, the Holy Spirit gives us greater ability to live the Law from the heart. So the Old Covenant is a key to the most complete understanding of the New.

The Old Covenant was great, but at every point the New Covenant is clearer, closer, more enduring, and more effective. And all of this is because of Jesus: the Son, Redeemer, Advocate, Mediator, High Priest, and Offering of the New Covenant.

No wonder the author of Hebrews spends so much time writing of Jesus' superiority.

Thursday: Jesus, The Greater Word

<>< Test Everything. Cling to what is good. ><>

Gleanings from Hebrews

Getting the Most out of Hebrews (4)

This is the fourth post in a series that will help you get the most from reading the book of Hebrews. To start at the beginning, click here.

Hebrews: Something Old, Something New

Some circles seemingly consider the Old Testament obsolete, out-dated, and out of touch with the new world of the New Testament. I have heard teachers claim that unless the New Testament reaffirms an Old Testament doctrine, such doctrine is null and void. I have, then, heard others use this principle to argue against using musical instruments during worship. The New Testament references unaccompanied singing, and therefore the cymbals, pipes, harps, and other Old Testament testimony of making music is now forbidden in this new world of grace, but no law -- (Did that sound cynical?)

In light of this, understanding the book of Hebrews for many Christians will be difficult, because it assumes the reader knows the Law, and the Prophets, and the Writings of the old saints. Since my main goal of this extended series is to provide tools for making this book your own, I would like to cover four essential concepts that you need to know in order to make headway.

Moses and Other Messengers

Moses was the greatest prophet in the Old Testament. Among Jews today, he is still the greatest of all God's messengers to mankind. He must be count great among Christians, as well. This is his legacy:

Since that time no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, for all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, all his servants, and all his land, and for all the mighty power and for all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel. (Deuteronomy 34:10-12, NASB)

Moses gave us the Law of God spoken from Mount Sinai. Born after him were other messengers who spoke in other, less direct ways:

  • Isaiah communicated visions, gave his children interesting names like Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, and spoke oracles from the Lord.
  • Hosea married a prostitute as part of his message to Israel. He also gave his children prophetic names like Lo-Ami (Not my people).
  • Amos could look at everyday objects, like a plumb line, and use them to communicate God's truths.
  • Ezekiel communicated in visions and play acting.

The more you know about the diversity of God's messages through his prophets, the more you can understand the unique opening of Hebrews:

God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they. For to which of the angels did He ever say, “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”? And again, “I will be a Father to Him And He shall be a Son to Me”? (Hebrews 1:1-5)

The writer to the Hebrews begins his work by showing Jesus to be a better messenger with a better message than all the other messengers. Thus he begins his great theme that Jesus is superior to Moses and the other prophets by virtue of His being "the exact representation of His nature."

The Kinsman Redeemer

There is an interesting Old Testament word that requires several different English words to carry its meaning. That word is goel. Here is how this word is translated:

  • Kinsman -- this is in Leviticus 25:25. A close relative has the responsibility of redeeming property sold to pay debts.
  • Redeemer -- this is in Leviticus 25:49. A close relative has the responsibility of redeeming another relative sold as a slave to pay debts.
  • Blood Avenger -- this is in Deuteronomy 19:12. A close relative has the responsibility to avenge the blood of a close relative killed by another.

So goel communicates both blood ties and the responsibilities that pertain to those ties. They are two sides of the same coin and cannot be separated. In the story of Ruth, Boaz is the kinsman of Naomi and, by extension, Ruth. And so Ruth is free to approach Boaz and say to him, “I am Ruth your maid. So spread your covering over your maid, for you are a close relative.” To transliterate, Ruth says, "You are a goel."

The writer of Hebrews uses this concept of the kinsman-redeemer to develop the essential reason why God had to take human form to provide salvation to mankind:

For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, “I will proclaim Your name to My brethren, In the midst of the congregation I will sing Your praise.” And again, “I will put My trust in Him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children whom God has given Me.” Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. (Hebrews 2:10-15)

Note these words especially, "Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same." By sharing our nature, Jesus became a kinsman and took on the responsibilities of freeing us from slavery.

Melchizedek

This is one person who is central to the argument of Hebrews. You must understand what the Old Testament says about him in Genesis and Psalm 110, and then see how the author of Hebrews develops a picture of Jesus as Priest and King.

Then after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. He blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” He gave him a tenth of all. (Genesis 14:17-20)

The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” The Lord will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying,“ Rule in the midst of Your enemies.” Your people will volunteer freely in the day of Your power; In holy array, from the womb of the dawn, Your youth are to You as the dew. The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.” The Lord is at Your right hand; He will shatter kings in the day of His wrath. He will judge among the nations, He will fill them with corpses, He will shatter the chief men over a broad country. He will drink from the brook by the wayside; Therefore He will lift up His head. (Psalm 110:1-7)

There you have the sum total of what the Old Testament has to say about Melchizedek, but Hebrews mentions him by name over eight times. What is important is that Psalm 110 tells us that Messiah will be both a king and a priest. It opens the door to a priesthood outside the bloodline of Aaron. The writer of Hebrews uses Psalm 110, Jesus' death, and references to the tabernacle to tell us how Jesus' death saved us.

The Tabernacle and Sacrifice

The author of Hebrews also connects with the Jewish sacrificial system, which he describes in the context of the wilderness tabernacle rather than the temple in Jerusalem. 

Now even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary. For there was a tabernacle prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the sacred bread; this is called the holy place. Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies, having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod which budded, and the tables of the covenant; and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat; but of these things we cannot now speak in detail. (Hebrews 9:1-5)

You may want to refer to this image.

  • The tabernacle consisted of a courtyard that contained the altar and washing basin. The priests entered this area freely each day to make the daily offerings. These included burnt offerings, sin offerings, guilt offerings, and fellowship offerings.
  • Within this courtyard was a tent, or tabernacle, that contained a front room and a back room.
  • The front room was the Holy Place wherein a priest kept a lamp burning, burned incense at prescribed times, and replaced the bread of presence each day. Access to the Holy Place was restricted to a single priest each day, but there was a cycle of families that rotated in this service. It was this service that Zechariah, John the Baptist's father, engaged in when he saw the angel Gabriel.
  • The back room was the Holiest of Holies. Here the High Priest only could enter once a year to make an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the nation.

This system separated the general population from the Levites who care for the tabernacle and its furnishings. The Levites, in turn, were separated from the population of priests, who all descended from Aaron. The priests were separated from the current family that offered the daily incense. Everybody was separated from the single High Priest who could make the offerings on the Day of Atonement. Once again, Hebrews says:

Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship, but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance. The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing, which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation. (Hebrews 9:6-10)

As you read Hebrews, you will come face to face with the realities after Jesus death and resurrection.

Wednesday: Jesus in the Book of Hebrews

<>< Test Everything. Cling to what is good. ><>

Monday, April 14, 2003

Suggestions

Given that this is the week for remembering the week of Jesus' execution and resurrection, you may enjoy looking at two related posts from the past.

  • The Upper Room Discourse -- contains reflections on the Jesus' last teaching and prayer before His arrest.
  • Judas Iscariot -- Debunks the myth that Judas was only trying to force Jesus to reveal Himself as King.

Gleanings from Hebrews will resume tomorrow

The Tax Man

What should have been a final check followed by electronic filing of my return, turned into a hour long ordeal with my tax software's support line trying to resolve a bug in their information collection form. I will be sending my return by snail-mail this year. In any case, it took my blogging time away. However, I do have an idea for a small post, which I will send later this morning.