“Who will go for us?”  (Isaiah 6:8)

Hannah Szenes

Streets and public squares are named after her throughout Israel.

She is the author of the famous but somber tune, “My God, my God”; in Hebrew, “Eli, Eli” known both by Israelis and Jewish music lovers across the globe.  It is often played at Holocaust memorial events:

My God, My God, I pray that these things never end,
The sand and the sea,
The rustle of the waters,
Lightning of the Heavens,
The prayer of Man.

What is less known in the non-Jewish world is the story behind the song.

A lone 23-year-old woman who refused to give away Allied intelligence to the Nazis, even under torture to herself and her mother, as well as eminent execution is certainly a winning candidate for remembrance on International Women’s Day, which is being held tomorrow, March 8, around the world.

International Women’s Day began in 1909, and this year’s theme for 2018 is “Time is Now:  Rural and urban activists transforming women’s lives.”

Women living in rural communities make up over a quarter of the world’s population and 43% of its agricultural workforce.

Hannah Szenes was one of them.

Although privileged, well-educated, and a gifted writer, she chose to leave her friends and family in her birthplace of Hungary to become a hard-working, builder of the Jewish homeland.

At 18, she enrolled in an agricultural school in Israel and later a kibbutz, where she worked from 6 am to 6 pm.

Yet, her heart’s desire was to bring fellow Jews home at a time (in the 1940s) when the British were severely restricting Jewish emigration to pre-state Israel, which was ruled by the British at the time and called British Mandate Palestine.

Let’s discover the remarkable story of this woman who helped to reignite a sense of Jewish identity in a people who had been assimilated into the nations of the world.

The Making of a Zionist

Hannah Szenes (pronounced Senesh) was born on July 17, 1921 into a middle-class, assimilated Jewish family in Budapest, Hungary.  Her father, Bela Szenes, was a well-known journalist and playwright.

He died unexpectedly when Hannah was just six years old, leaving her mother Katherine to raise her and her brother Giora.

Hannah dictated her thoughts about her father’s death while her grandmother wrote them down—that was her first poem.

Following in her father’s writing footsteps, she began writing poems about other children and how happy they were.

Her mother paid three times the price of Protestant children, due to their Jewishness, to send Hannah to a good school.  Catholic students paid double. Hannah managed to win a scholarship, though, which meant her mother only had to pay double, not triple the fees.

At age thirteen, Hannah began keeping a diary. Later, she was elected president of her school’s literacy society, but lost the position when anti-Semitism became so strong that Jews were not allowed in any kind of leadership.

“You have to be someone exceptional to fight anti-Semitism …,” Hannah confided to her diary.

“Only now am I beginning to see what it really means to be a Jew in a Christian society, but I don’t mind at all … we have to struggle.  Because it is more difficult for us to reach our goal, we must develop outstanding qualities. Had I been born a Christian, every profession would be open to me.” (Hannah Senesh: Her Life and Diary, 26)

Hannah’s brother Giora left for university in France. He later made it to Israel (British Mandate Palestine) and was briefly reunited with his sister.

Through all of this mounting hatred in her teen years, Hannah realized that the Jewish homeland urgently needed support.

At the end of October 1938 at age 17, she wrote in her diary:  “I’ve become a Zionist.  This word stands for a tremendous number of things.  To me it means, in short, that I now consciously and strongly feel I am a Jew, and am proud of it.  My primary aim is to go to Palestine [Israel], to work for it.”  (Diary, 67)

Graduating at the top of her class in March 1939, she could easily have secured a place at a university; her teachers even tried to dissuade her from moving to Palestine.  Determinedly though, at the age of 18, she made Aliyah (immigration) to attend the Girls’ Agricultural School at Nahalal.

She wrote to her mother, “There are already far too many intellectuals in Palestine. What they need are workers to help build the country.”  (Diary, xxiv)

The Making of a Heroine

Hannah needed an outlet for her zeal, so in 1942 she joined the Haganah (Jewish defence force) of pre-state Israel taking classes in wireless communications.

While there, she heard about an opportunity that she felt she could not refuse.

Desperately wanting to help the Jews in Europe, and having unsuccessfully tried to obtain emigration papers for her mother to leave Hungary, Hannah joined the British Army Women’s Auxiliary Air Force as an Aircraftwoman 2nd Class and volunteered for a secret mission behind enemy lines.

On December 26, 1943, Hannah wrote, “Darling Mother, I’m starting something new. Perhaps it’s madness; perhaps it is dangerous.  There are times when one is commanded to do something, even at the price of one’s life.”  (Diary, 164)

Though parachuting into Europe during WWII would be extremely dangerous, a brave group of just over thirty Jews went ahead with their paratroop training in Egypt.  Hannah was one of only three women Special Operations Executive paratroopers in the British Army at the time.

In the Spring of 1944 at age 22, Hannah parachuted along with her small group into Yugoslavia.  They stayed there for three months before crossing the border into Hungary.

Although Hannah did not have a religious Jewish upbringing, she diligently studied Hebrew, writing in her diary, “I want to read the Bible in Hebrew. I know it will be very difficult but it is the true language and the most beautiful; in it is the spirit of our people.”

By age 18, she was able to write Hebrew without a dictionary and wrote that “this makes me happy.”   (Diary, 78)

She had likely read the words of the Lord to the Prophet Isaiah during her small group Bible study at the kibbutz, where she read a chapter of Isaiah at each meeting.  (Diary, 151)

“Whom shall I send?” Isaiah heard the Lord ask (Isaiah 6:8).  Hannah answered the call.

The goal of the mission was to make contact with Jews in Hungary and to find means of rescuing them, but the timing was quite unfortunate.

The parachutists landed in Yugoslavia on March 14, 1944, and German troops entered Hungary just five days later.

Even more tragically, an informer gave Hannah away and she was arrested almost as soon as she entered Hungary.

She withstood severe beatings and threats at the hands of the Gestapo, never giving away the mission’s transmitter codes.

In a further bid to extract information, Hannah’s mother was also imprisoned, which must have been horrifying, but perhaps also a source of comfort.  They had not seen each other since 1939 when Hannah first left for Israel.

Despite the threats of the interrogators to torture and kill her mother in front of her, to which Hannah still never gave in, Katherine was released, while Hannah was put on trial for treason.

When Katherine visited her daughter in prison, the only thing Hannah asked for was a Hebrew Bible.

Katherine looked all over Budapest for one, but with no success, as Jewish businesses had closed months earlier and those who had a Bible didn’t want to part with it, she recalled.  (Diary, 285)

The Germans were losing the war when the Soviets entered Hungary in September, 1944.  The next month, still in jail, Hannah was tried for treason by a closed military tribunal.

Interestingly, the judges did not sentence her at this point, and they themselves fled the country.  It seemed that she might at last go free.

There was one man who wanted Hannah dead, however. And he made sure that she was executed.  On November 7, 1944, she was tied to a stake, refused a blindfold, and looked up to the sky as three rifles fired.  (Diary, 250)

A week later, her mother Katherine was put on a death march to Austria. Miraculously, she survived, and eventually made it to Israel.

This sad little poem was later found in her daughter’s cell:

“One – two – three… eight feet long, two strides across, the rest is dark… Life is a fleeting question mark. One – two – three… maybe another week; Or the next month may still find me here, but death, I feel is very near. I could have been 23 next July; I gambled on what mattered most, the dice were cast. I lost.”

Hannah was one of seven parachutists who died, out of thirty-three brave souls who attempted the operation.  Little is known about the lives of the other six. We do know of Hannah, as she kept writing till the day she died.

In 1950, Hannah’s remains, along with those of her six comrades who died, were brought to Israel and re-interred at the military cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.

On November 5, 1993, Hannah’s family in Israel received the Hungarian military court’s verdict, exonerating her of the treason charges for which she was executed.

A film has been made about Hannah’s life, Blessed is the Match, which is the name of one of her poems.  In the movie, fellow Gestapo prisoner Susan Beer says that Hannah was “such a combination of courage and gentleness.”

“Blessed is the match consumed in kindling flame,” wrote Hannah, just prior to her crossing into Hungary.

She asked a comrade, in the event of her capture, to be sure to deliver the poem to the chaverim (friends) at Kibbutz Sdot-Yam.  Even the little piece of paper has a drama attached to it, the film reveals.

The now famous poem continues:

Blessed is the flame that burns in the secret fastness of the heart.
Blessed is the heart with strength to stop its beating for honor’s sake.
Blessed is the match consumed in kindling flame.

A comrade wrote about her:

“Her behavior before members of the Gestapo and SS was quite remarkable. She constantly stood up to them, warning them plainly of the bitter fate they would suffer after their defeat.  Curiously, these wild animals, in whom every spark of humanity had been extinguished, felt awed in the presence of this refined, fearless young girl.”  (Diary, 241)

Hannah Szenes’s life is an amazing story of heroism in a Jewish woman who revered the Word of God and helped to reignite the true identity of the Jewish People.

 

 

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Pinchas (Phinehas / Dark Skinned)
Numbers 25:10–29:40 (30:1); Jeremiah 1:1–2:3; 1 Peter 3:8–4:19

“Pinchas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites.  Since he was as zealous for My honor among them as I am, I did not put an end to them in my zeal.”  (Numbers 25:11)

Last week’s Parasha Balak concluded with a man named Pinchas ending a devastating plague that had come on Israel and already killed 24,000 Israelites.  The plague resulted from the Israelites participating in sexual immorality with the Midianite women.

The death toll ended when Pinchas (the grandson of Aaron) killed the Israelite Zimri, a Simeonite leader who openly brought a Midianite princess into his tent.

Pinchas entered his tent and plunged a spear through both of them.

God Honors Zeal for Himself

In this week’s Parasha, we see that Pinchas’ action not only brings salvation to his people by ending the plague, he also obtains a great reward for himself from God.

God honors Pinchas with both the priesthood and an eternal covenant of shalom (peace).  (Numbers 25:12–13)

It seems unthinkable that such an act of violence could bring about a covenant of peace with God, but that is what happened.

What might we learn from Pinchas?  Certainly, it is not that God honors violence. But what was He honoring?

God was honoring zeal for Himself.

Pinchas has been compared by the Rabbis to Elijah, who also walked in Godly zeal and passion for the Lord.  He boldly confronted the false prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel to prove that YHVH is Elohim.

God also honored Elijah’s zeal by promising to send him to usher in our Messianic redemption, as it is written:

“I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the coming of the great and awesome day of God.”  (Malachi 4:5)

God Honors Those Who Honor Him

After the devastation of this plague, the Lord commanded that a census be taken. 

Like a shepherd whose flocks have been depleted by an attack of wolves, when the catastrophe is over, the shepherd lovingly counts his sheep to determine how many are left alive.  (Rashi)

As well, the census would help prepare each tribe to receive their fair share of inheritance once they enter their promised land.

The census revealed that some clans survived even though God’s wrath had consumed their ancestors.  For instance, the ancestors of Korach, the Levite who led a rebellion of 250 chieftains against Moses and tried to take over the priesthood, survived.

Korach, his home and the men with him were consumed by an earthquake and fire, yet the Scriptures say that “the sons of Korach died not.”  (Numbers 26:11; see also Numbers 16:32)

These sons became the founders of a guild of psalmists whose writings are still with us today, filling a portion of the book of Psalms (Tehillim).  It is generally believed that Psalms 42, 44–49, 84–85, 87–88 were written by these sons.  (Aish)

Their praises were not just written, they were shouted.  In preparation for warfare, they “stood up and praised the LORD, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.”  (2 Chronicles 20:19)

Like Korach’s descendants, we are not destined to follow in the footsteps of our bloodline.  We can choose to rise above our backgrounds — even the sin or rebellion of our own parents — to become devoted followers of God. 

God Honors Women with an Inheritance

As Moses prepared to divide up the land, the daughters of Zelophehad asked for their inheritance, since their father had died without sons.  God loves men and women equally and, therefore, decreed justice for the daughters by granting them their father’s land (Numbers 27:1–11).

Women — even single women — can inherit what is rightfully theirs.

In a spiritual sense, the Lord is our portion — He is a God of justice and will give us our inheritance if we boldly ask for it and believe that we deserve it.

But what if the daughters of Zelophehad didn’t think they were worthy — or that because everyone else who received an inheritance were men, that they shouldn’t even ask?  They would not have received their portion of the Land that was due to them.

Let us not be timid, but bold in carrying out God’s invitation to ask for what we desire and trust Him to bring it to pass in His way and His time, if it is His will.

We will not know if it is His will unless we ask.  Yeshua (Jesus) invites us to ask for what we desire, in His name:  “Until now you have asked nothing in My name.  Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”  (John 16:24)

We see from God’s attention to these women’s request that there is nothing so small or big that God does not care about if it is something that concerns us.

He cares not just for the nation of Israel as a whole, but also for each and every individual within His Kingdom: “He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him.”  (Psalm 145:19)

In his last days, Moses also had a desire — he asked the Lord to appoint a new shepherd for his sheep.

God Honors Godly Leadership

“The LORD said to Moses, Take you Joshua (Yehoshua) the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay [samach] your hand on him; And set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight.  And you shall put some of your honor on him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient.”  (Numbers 27:18–20)

In this portion of Scripture, God delivered news that must have been a devastating blow to Moses.  He was told that although he would be allowed to see the Promised Land, he would never be allowed to enter.  (Numbers 27:12–14)

Even when Moses knew he would not be the one taking them into the Land, he still showed concern for the flock by asking the Lord to appoint a man over the assembly.

God asked Moses to transfer his authority of leadership to Joshua (Yehoshua) by the laying on of hands.  This is a physical act to symbolize the transference of authority.

In Hebrew, the word for lay is samach, from which is derived the noun smichah, the act of rabbinic ordination.

The related word samchut means authority.  The root of this Hebrew word: s-m-ch, means to trust, to support, or to rely on.

Being anointed for leadership over a group of people is a sacred trust that we may not take lightly.

We all need Godly leadership; we were created to be governed—to come under samchut (authority).  Without a shepherd, we are scattered and helpless sheep, exposed to attack on all sides.

Even though God is the ultimate authority, and Yeshua is our Great Shepherd, He will also ordain leaders to help guide and support us in our walk with Him, as did the great Biblical leaders, such as Moses and later Joshua.

Moses anointed Joshua, whose name Yehoshua means the Lord saves, to lead the people of Israel into their Promised Land.

God anointed Yeshua (shortened form of Yehoshua) to lead His followers into the promised Messianic Era.

Let us pray for the leaders of our nations and especially for the leadership of Israel to govern us with Godly wisdom and integrity in these last days.  Let us also pray for the return of Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Messiah).

God Honors Israel

Between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av on the Jewish calendar (July 21 and August 10, 2019), the Jewish People are observing a period of three weeks to pause and reflect on why so many tragedies have come upon us throughout our history.

We are also to consider our own personal behavior, attitudes and relationship with God.

On each Sabbath that falls during these three weeks, we read special prophetic portions called Haftarot of Admonition, which are meant to disturb our false sense of peace.

In fact, the word translated as admonition is d’puranuta, which means to disturb.

Upon visiting Israel, it is easy to think that the Jewish people are living in peace in the Holy Land.  Children play in the streets and most dwell in cities without walls and fortifications.

Then, a 13-year-old girl is stabbed to death as she sleeps, a siren blasts, a rocket explodes; our sense of peace is shaken, and we must face the reality of living in a land set apart by God Himself.

Haftarah Portion

This week’s Haftarah (Prophetic portion of Scripture) is Jeremiah 1:1–2:3, which compares Israel to the first fruits that were set apart as holy (kadosh) to be offered up to the Lord.

“Israel is the Lord’s hallowed (kadosh) portion, His first-fruits of the increase.  All that devour him shall be held guilty, evil shall come upon them, says the Lord.”  (Jeremiah 2:3)

It is clear that God opposes any person, nation or force that seeks to destroy Israel.

Today, and throughout history, there is certainly a desire to see Israel — God’s holy portion — destroyed through war, terror attacks, slanderous accusations of war crimes, blood libel, human rights violations, and apartheid.

However, the Word out of Zion is this:  those who seek to attack Israel are admonished to cease and desist while there is still time before even greater evil comes upon them.

“’For I am with you,’ says the Lord, ‘to save you; though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, yet I will not make a complete end of you.’”  (Jeremiah 30:11) 

God Honors Truth in Action

We must not think we are too weak or too timid or too young or too old — or whatever excuse we use — to fulfill our mission in God’s plan.  If God is in it, He will give the strength, grace, wisdom, and boldness to do His will.

Pinchas, for instance, was not yet an elder in the community, yet he was the only one who took action against the sin that was destroying his own people.

Others had witnessed the open sin in the community, but they apparently did nothing (even Moses, Aaron, and his sons).

When we stand by and wait for our leaders or friends to confront sin or the slanderous attacks against Israel in front of us, the sin or the lie just grows and infects more people.  As it is said — a little leaven leavens the whole lump.

While God is not calling us to respond with spears in the backs of sinners or our enemies, we are also not to remain silent and passive.

Sometimes God is calling us to help correct a problem by speaking life into the situation — speaking truth, writing truth, living lives filled with truth is a powerful weapon against sin, especially lies.

As well, speaking blessings and words of life over those who are courageously speaking truth can bring anointing and power to them that they may not have had access to before.  It builds them up in strength and helps them to persevere in the storm that comes to all who stand for righteousness.

You may be slandered for speaking life, but “even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.  Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.  But in your hearts revere Messiah as Lord. …  For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.”  (1 Peter 3:14–15, 17)

In addition to speaking the truth about Israel, we can speak the truth that brings eternal life by sharing the truth about who Yeshua HaMashiach is with those who do not yet know Him.

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in the Messiah may be ashamed of their slander.”  (1 Peter 3:15–16)

You can be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks by sharing and supporting the Messianic Prophecy Bible, which will explain the Messianic prophecies and emphasize how Yeshua fulfilled those prophecies.

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“Whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.”  (Mark 10:44–45)

Judaism teaches that we are to be servants of the Ribbonei shel Olam, Master of the Universe.  

This servitude isn’t meant to humiliate; rather, being in humble subjection to the Creator is a state of being close to Him.  (Journal of Jewish Communal Service, Volume 87, 2012, p. 108)

He is the Master that we answer to.  Indeed, we were each born to be an eved HaShem (servant of God).

As we grow and discover the meaning of avodat HaShem (service of God), we begin to understand that to be effective servants, our goals need to include effecting change in this world, strengthening the community of Believers and the Jewish People, and growing in character and holiness.

Being a servant of the Lord is a call to leadership, especially leading by example.  More than that, to be called the servant of the Lord is an incredible honor.

The Suffering Servant

“After He has suffered, He will see the light of life and be satisfied; by His knowledge My righteous servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities.”  (Isaiah 53:11)

Service is such an essential aspect of our relationship with Adonai that one of the greatest Messianic prophecies in the Tanakh (Old Testament) is that of the Suffering Servant.

Messiah Himself is described as God’s Servant.

The 53rd chapter of Isaiah describes one who is led to the slaughter like a lamb to become “an offering for sin” (Isaiah 53:10).  Scripture refers to this person as God’s “righteous servant” (v. 11).

Although many rabbis of old recognized that this passage spoke about the Messiah, modern-day rabbis believe that the suffering servant is actually Israel.  This isn’t to say that God does not consider Israel His servant.  Isaiah 41:8 confirms that the nation of Israel is the servant of the Lord.  And from this nation comes the Suffering Servant.

Verses 1 through 12 vividly prophesy and describe Yeshua (Jesus) when He lived and ministered in Galilee and Jerusalem 2,000 years ago.

For the Jewish People today to recognize that Isaiah 53 speaks of the prophesied Messiah would mean that the Jewish People as a nation, not individually, understand that they have rejected God’s servant Yeshua.

So while the Jewish People still await the Messiah’s arrival as a nation, for Jewish Believers, Isaiah 53 is solid evidence that Yeshua is the Messiah.

Through His suffering, He took the wrath of God over sin on Himself that should have been placed on us — “He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”  (Isaiah 53:5)

Those of us who have come to know our Creator through Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Messiah) know that our salvation is a gift from above, a final atonement made for us even though we are unworthy of receiving it.

This very gift is a prime example of a great leader serving God.  Yeshua’s sacrifice is in keeping with Yeshua’s teaching that the last will be first and the first last (Matthew 19:30).  Through sacrificial service, we also can effect change in this world as servants of God.

Writing to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul suggests the nature of a servant’s heart when he highlights the qualities of a suffering servant:

“You are honored, we are dishonored!  To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.  We work hard with our own hands.  When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly.  We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment.”  (1 Corinthians 4:10–13)

Admittedly this may not seem like a pleasant way to live for most of us, yet it demonstrates the lengths to which Paul was willing to go in his quest to be a servant of God and of his fellow man. 

Servants in the Bible

“Remember the wonders He has done, His miracles, and the judgments He pronounced, you His servants, the descendants of Abraham, His chosen ones, the children of Jacob.”  (Psalm 105:5–6)

The idea of being a servant of the Lord is found throughout the Bible.  Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Caleb, King David, and the prophets are all called God’s servant.

Moses is called God’s servant in one form or another more than any other person.  (Exodus 14:31; Numbers 12:7; Deuteronomy 34:5; among other references)

In fact, Moses is referred to as the servant of the Lord so many times that it almost seems like an official title, yet he told the people to expect one like him: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.”  (Deuteronomy 18:15)

That person is Yeshua (Jesus), and He is the clearest example of a servant of God.

The disciple Stephen confirmed this when he spoke before the Sanhedrin (Jewish court) saying, “This is the Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your own people.’”  (Acts 7:37)

And the apostle John explained the role Yeshua played when he wrote, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Yeshua HaMashiach.”  (John 1:17)

This grace and truth enables each of us to be a blessing in this world as we reach out with a servant’s heart empowered by the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit).

The Greatness of Yeshua HaMashiach

“Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?  He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground.  He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him.  He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.  Like one from whom people hide their faces He was despised, and we held Him in low esteem.”  (Isaiah 53:1–3)

While we tend to look on those who suffer as inferior or deserving of punishment, the One who served us through His suffering, Yeshua, is truly great.

Yeshua is greater than God’s servant Abraham who is respected by both Jews and Muslims, as their father.

When the rabbis asked Yeshua, “Are you greater than Abraham?”  (John 8:53), He answered that Abraham had looked forward to Yeshua’s coming and had now seen it, adding that He had existed before Abraham.  (John 8:56, 58)

He is greater than Jacob.  At Jacob’s well, He told the Samaritan woman that although his well provides her life-giving water—the water that He gives is “living water.”  If she would drink from it, she would never again thirst but would have within her “a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  (John 4:13–14)

He is greater than David.  When questioned by the rabbis, Yeshua referred to Psalm 110:1, pointing out that David called the Messiah “my Lord” (Matthew 22:45).  This indicates that the Son of David is greater than David.

He is greater than Solomon.  Although David’s son Solomon was world renowned as being the greatest Monarch, Yeshua declared in Matthew 12:42: “Now someone greater than Solomon is here.”

He is also greater than Jonah (a somewhat unwilling servant of God), which is made clear when He declared, “Now someone greater than Jonah is here.”  (Matthew 12:41)

Yeshua is the greatest of all because “He was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.”  (John 1:2–3)

Yeshua came to us as the King of all kings and the humblest of all servants.

Service to the Father was His mission in life:

“I came to do the will of Him that sent Me.”  (John 6:38) 

Principles of Jewish Leadership

While there are many examples of servant-leadership in the Bible, the only person in the Torah who is directly commanded to be humble is a king; he must “not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites.”  (Deuteronomy 17:20)

The 12th century Jewish scholar Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon (Maimonides) said that a king “should be gracious and merciful to the small and the great, involving himself in their good and welfare.  He should protect the honor of even the humblest of people.”  (Chabad)

We see this truth in action in 1 Kings 12:7 where the elders counseled the son of the now dead King Solomon, King Rehoboam, to be a servant to the people.  Sadly, he rejected that advice and, consequently, Israel was divided into two kingdoms.

Dr. Hal M. Lewis, president of Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership, writes that “leaders must see themselves as serving the needs of their followers by enhancing their capacity, by motivating and empowering them, and by developing leadership in others.”  (My Jewish Learning)

He goes as far as to say that “only those who transcend their own agendas in order to serve the long-term needs of the people meet Judaism’s test of effective leadership.”

In stressing the servanthood nature of leadership, Dr. Lewis quotes the Talmud:  “One who is appointed over a community becomes the servant of the community.”  (Horayot 10a) 

Sadly, the church has historically failed to follow the template of servanthood set out by Messiah Yeshua.  An article by Dr. John Garr, president of the Hebraic Christian Global Community explains:

“The church … has been victimized by leaders who demanded absolute authority, ruled with iron fists, and smashed any dissent or dissenters.  Beginning with the monarchial bishops of the Eastern church, continuing with the papacy of the Western church, and remaining consistent in much of Protestantism, Christian leadership has been patterned after imperial empires and the arrogated perquisites of secular governments.  Jesus rightly said that autocratic dominance is the hallmark of Gentile cultures.”  (Sid Roth)

Dr. Garr also stresses that the leader must be adaptable “not by adapting followers to himself, but by adapting himself to the needs of the people and to the situation that he is trying to influence.”  He cites Paul who said in 1 Corinthians 9:22, “I have become all things to all people.”

Pastor Tom Shepherd says that we can begin to have a servant’s spirit by being committed to following God, trusting that God is in charge, obeying God’s word, and walking in faith.

We can start serving where we are — in our communities, our workplaces, anywhere we see a need we can fill.  (Sermon Central)

In his song “Gotta Serve Somebody,” Bob Dylan said it most pointedly: “Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord, but you’re gonna have to serve somebody.”

In writing that, he may have been thinking about the great leader Joshua who told the people:  “If serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living.  But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”  (Joshua 24:15)

Being chosen did not mean the Israelites could just sit back and be served by others.  God made it clear that “the sons of Israel are My servants; they are My servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt.  I am the LORD your God.”  (Leviticus 25:55)

The Lord has brought all Believers out of bondage to sin, grafting Gentiles into the same blessings and responsibilities as Israel (Romans 11).

All Believers — Jew and Gentile — are His servants.

It’s our privilege to build up and lead others into God’s presence, humbly and with a heart full of praise as it is written in Psalm 113:1:  “Praise the Lord!  Praise, O servants of the Lord, Praise the name of the Lord.”

As we know from Romans 6:22, we have been freed from sin not so that we can do whatever pleases us but so that we will be sanctified and inheritors of eternal life.  We show our appreciation by loving God and loving our fellow man (Mark 12:30–31).

We can only do this by possessing a servant’s heart, one that desires to build up treasures not for ourselves, but for service in the Kingdom of God.

And in doing so, we follow the example of Yeshua, the suffering servant who sacrificed His life for us, willingly, upon the tree (Galatians 3:13).

The post The Blessing of a Servant’s Heart appeared first on Messianic Bible.

When Elijah heard the earthquake, fire, and wind, “he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.”  (1 Kings 19:13)

You wouldn’t know it, to look at him.

His hair wild, his eyes filled with fear, his soul crushed by the loss of hope. Depression shrouded him like a thick dark cloak.  This was the one, people referred to as The Prophet.

This was the man who shut up the skies and stopped the rain for over three years.

This man called a nation to choose which God they would serve and even called down fire from heaven.

This man was now hiding in a cave in the desert.  This man was Elijah the Prophet.

It’s hard to imagine that a threat from the wife of a disobedient king would have this prophet of God running for his life.  How could he be the hero of little children’s stories?  Let alone be raised to a place of honor as the herald of the Messiah himself?

“See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.” (Micah 4:5–6)

It can happen to each of us.  As men and women of God, we can lose sight of the vision and callings that God has given to us.  We get depressed, stumble, and even quit.

While others might leave us in despair, God doesn’t

He cares for us, comforts us, strengthens us, raises us up without shame, and invites us to continue in His mission, without skipping a beat!

Let’s see how God not only redeemed this man from his despair, but also chose him to help redeem His Chosen People.

With the infinite resources of the LORD of Hosts (YHVH Shabaot) on his side, Elijah stands up to 450 prophets of Baal, the god of wicked Queen Jezebel, 400 prophets of the god Asherah, and kills them all (1 Kings 18:19, 40).

Jezebel and her army are now seeking to kill him.  Elijah thinks no one is left to carry on the work of the Lord; he runs for his life to the wilderness region of Mount Horeb and hides in a cave.

There at the mountain where God gave Israel the Torah and came into covenant with them, as a husband with a bride, God speaks to Elijah in his desert experience.

But before we look at what God said to him, let’s pause to consider how the body of Messiah (the church) might respond if Elijah were alive today.

After all, you may know of some Elijah’s, too.

Would church leaders send an army of congregants with the gifts of mercy, hospitality, and encouragement to go after this Elijah and restore him back into service for God?

Or would they leave him 100 miles away in his cave and look for another prophet in town?

Sadly, too often, the choice is the latter.

We tend to see a setback, an episode of despair, or even a sin in a person’s life as a sign that he or she is no longer worthy to serve God or that He has given up on His servant.

In Elijah’s case, he didn’t merely take a few weeks off, he cried out, “I’ve had enough, Lord. Take my life!”  (1 kings 19:4)

Let’s now see how God handles Elijah’s condition.

Lying under a broom tree in the wilderness wishing to die, God sends an angel to comfort and re-energize Elijah’s body with heavenly cake and water.  (1 Kings 19:5–8)

After journeying forty days to Horeb in the depths of the inhospitable desert, God speaks, not in anger through the earthquake, wind and fire, but in a quiet shout, asking him about his distress:  “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  (1 Kings 19:11–13)

Hearing the despair in Elijah’s heart, God gives him a temporary reprieve by choosing another man, Elisha, to carry on his work.

But that doesn’t mean God is done with Elijah.

Like Elijah, we sometimes get burned out from stress, fear, and our own short-sightedness, hiding under the covers of our bed for hours, even days.

When others take our place, we might feel that we no longer have any value to God, especially when other Believers tell us so.

If we believe that lie, the days under the covers can turn into years of uselessness.  Yet, if we are willing to be restored and remain in His service, God is never finished with us.  He clearly wasn’t finished with Elijah, either.

Elijah left the cave to fulfill more assignments for the Lord.  In one of his final prophetic acts, God sent Elijah to warn Jezebel’s husband, King Ahab, of certain destruction, and Elijah obeyed.

Ahab “tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly.” Because of his humility upon hearing the words of God’s prophet Elijah, destruction did not befall Ahab.  (1 Kings 21:17–29)

Elijah could have done much more impressive feats on earth, but God took him home early, in a chariot no less.

Yet that still wasn’t the end of his service for the kingdom.  Elijah stood with Moses on Mount Tabor near the Sea of Galilee, as Yeshua (Jesus) revealed the manifest glory of God within Himself on the Mount of Transfiguration!

And God still wasn’t done with Elijah!

The Book of Malachi is the last book in the Tanakh (Old Testament).  It prophesies about Elijah receiving the grand honor of accompanying the Messiah when He comes to reign as King in His Messianic Kingdom on earth.

“Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty.

“Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel.

“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.”  (Malachi 4)

The Messianic kingdom is the great hope of the Jewish People every day, every Shabbat, and every Passover.

And the return of Elijah, this once downcast, discouraged, and depressed prophet whom God redeemed out of the caves of Horeb is an integral part of that Messianic hope.

“May he soon come to us, with the Messiah son of David,” the Jewish People sing. (lyrics from Eliyahu HaNavi)

The Hope of Elijah’s Return

As the Biblical Festival of Passover starts next Friday night, Jewish families, Messianic Believers, and even some Christians will retell the story of Israel’s redemption from slavery in Egypt, as God instructed each generation to do (Exodus 13:3–16).

This telling (haggadah) happens at a ritual dinner known as a Seder.  According to Jewish tradition, some families set an empty seat at the Seder table for Elijah.  The door of the house is opened and they call out to Elijah — Eliyahu, Eliyahu! expecting the spirit of Elijah to enter and dine with the family.

In all households, a cup of wine is poured.  It is the Cup of Elijah, but they do not drink it.  Some children intently watch for ripples in the wine, a sign that Elijah has visited.

The family and friends at the table then sing Psalms 115–118 that, in part, express how they long for their final redemption:

“I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.”  (Psalm 116:13)

“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; … Hosanna!—Lord, save us now! We beseech Thee. Lord, grant us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”  (Psalm 118:22–26)

Waiting for Elijah All Year Long

At the closing of each Shabbat (Sabbath), there is a traditional ceremony called Havdalah (separation), which closes off the Shabbat and ushers in the new week.

Elijah and the coming Messianic Kingdom are remembered again in singing this prayer about him:

May Elijah the prophet,
Elijah the Tishbite,
Elijah of Gilead,
quickly in our day come to us
heralding redemption.

And every day, Orthodox Jews say prayers from a siddur (prayer book) after their meals which include a petition for Elijah:

“May the Merciful One send us Elijah the prophet—may he be remembered for good — and let him bring us good tidings, deliverance, and consolation.”

God redeemed and restored a victorious yet dejected servant into even higher service, and He wants to do the same for you.  Elijah came out of his cave, and God is asking each of us to come out from under the covers and get back on the path God has for us.

If we continue hiding away, our service for the Lord is over.

But when we allow God to rebuild us through the talents, skills, and spiritual gifts that He has provided within the Body of Messiah, the church, we can find fulfillment or new vision.  And we can see God’s healing power and give Him the praise.

Our passions may change, but our service is still for the Kingdom of God and that’s all that truly matters.

God has redeemed you, so that you can play a role in helping to redeem others. This starts with your families, neighbors, co-workers, and people you run into whether it is in the supermarket, coffee shop, or a parking lot.

The people you meet may call themselves “Christians” because they grew up with that title.  Yet, as with most Jewish People, no one told them what God really did for them through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

They have never been reconciled to God through Yeshua (Jesus), nor have they been baptised in the Holy Spirit.

Elijah was sent to His people to reconcile them with God, so pray each day for God to give you boldness to reach the lost and even those who think that they are not lost — Jew and Gentile alike.

God wants to use you.

“We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us.”  (2 Corinthians 5:20)

 

The post God Has Not Forgotten You. He Restored Elijah and He Can Restore You. appeared first on Messianic Bible.

Balak (Destroyer)
Numbers 22:2–25:9; Micah 5:6–6:8; 2 Peter 2:1–22

“And Balak [בָּלָק] the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.” (Numbers 22:2)

Last week’s Parasha (Torah portion) ended with Israel seeking to pass through the land of the Amorites on their way to the Promised Land. The Amorites responded with war, but with God’s help, Israel defeated them.

In this week’s Parasha, we see the overpowering strength of God’s blessing on Israel. When Balak, the king of Moab, sent a sorcerer named Balaam to curse Israel, he found that he could not do so.

Although Balaam was commissioned to pronounce a curse over Israel, he found that he could only issue a blessing instead, saying, “How shall I curse whom God has not cursed?” (Numbers 23:8)

Many might come against the nation of Israel, but no one can curse those whom Adonai Himself has blessed!

The Moabite King Balak, whose name means waste or to lay waste, wanted to lay waste the nation of Israel. To his dismay, he found that he was unable to do so because of God’s blessing upon her.

Why did King Balak feel so threatened by Israel that he felt the need to have her cursed? It is because Balak, along with his elders, had heard of the Israelites stunning victories over the mighty enemies of Sihon and Og.

Therefore, deciding that it would be too risky to fight Israel directly, they hired a “spiritual mercenary,” Balaam, who was a heathen sorcerer, to put a “hex” on their enemies. Although we may consider this an ancient superstition, many practice such magic even today.

For instance, in the United States there exists a form of Louisiana Voodoo (also known as New Orleans Voodoo). It is rooted in West African Dahomeyan Vodun, which came to the American south through the slave trade.

The Bible strictly forbids the people of God to practice such sorcery; neither are we to seek guidance from astrologers, sorcerers, psychics, or those who consult with the dead:

“When you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.

“For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you. You shall be blameless before the LORD your God. For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the LORD your God has not appointed such for you.” (Deuteronomy 18:9–13)

Sadly, the rise in the popularity and acceptance of books and films such as the Harry Potter series has led some Christians to break this serious commandment at their own peril.

As the world becomes darker and more terrifying, many people seek guidance and comfort from sorcerers and others skilled in the occult arts. But as God’s people, we are to “come out from among them and be separate.” (2 Corinthians 6:17)

The adversary of humankind seeks to deceive and enslave us through a variety of methods: false doctrines mixed with true doctrines, false religions, and fleshly temptations through spiritists, books, TV, and more.

But those who follow Yeshua (Jesus) actually have an advantage that is superior to any of those methods. Believers have the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) to lead and guide them into all truth; therefore, they do not need to stumble around in the kingdom of darkness looking for direction from those who serve the evil one.

God promises that if we seek Him with all of our heart, we will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13), and that those who are His sheep will hear His voice (John 10:27).

He has not left us to our devices wondering which way we should go.

The Power of the Tongue

Even though most people in today’s modern, Western culture do not purposefully engage in placing curses on others, people frequently and unknowingly affect others in a negative sense with their words.

The Bible tells us that the power of life or death is in our tongue (Proverbs 18:21); therefore, we need to be deliberate when we speak about or over other people, ensuring that our words are constructive and lifegiving.

Not everyone has been so privileged to have blessings spoken over their life, especially as a child. All too often we hear parents, teachers, children, event spiritual leaders speak appallingly ungodly words over others.

These negative words can pierce the heart and soul. False labels are taken to heart and believed to be true, such as loser, stupid, lazy, hopeless, ugly, bad, worthless, inept, idiot, jerk, brat, or unlovable.

What is the answer to this very real problem? How can we escape the multitude of word curses spoken over us?

The answer is found in Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Messiah)!

Not only do we find unconditional love and acceptance with Yeshua, but also the blood of the Messiah has the power to break every curse that has ever been spoken over us — whether intentionally or out of ignorance.

Yeshua became a curse for us so that we could be redeemed and set free from every curse: “Messiah redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.'” (Galatians 3:13)

Blessing and Cursing the Jewish People

By taking upon himself the task of cursing the Jews, Balaam entered into Jewish history books as Balaam HaRashah (Balaam [or Bilam] the Wicked). Although he called himself a prophet of God, he was motivated more by earning a profit with his gift than edifying, warning, teaching, and blessing others with it.

In Judaism, some consider his name to mean without a nation or people (bli – am), suggesting that by going to curse Israel he became excluded or cut off from a place in the World to Come (Olam haBah).

The reality that Balak and Balaam ignored is that God has promised to bless those who bless the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and to curse those who curse us. (Genesis 12:3)

How many people or nations are cutting themselves off from a blessing and a place in Heaven by attempting to curse the Jews?

Although Balaam possessed legendary powers, they were tiny compared to God’s power. Three times Balaam tried to curse Israel, and three times he involuntarily blessed them instead.

Over the centuries, many peoples and nations have tried to destroy Israel, like Balak, but none have succeeded in wiping Israel off the map as they have desired.

Hamas and other Islamic terror groups have written into their charters the goal of annihilating Israel and driving her people into the sea. This desire to annihilate the Jewish People has been shared by Nazi Germany, the Spanish Empire, Byzantine Empire, Assyrian Empire, Philistines, ancient Persia (see Book of Esther), and more.

Why has Israel survived against all odds even till today?

It is because of God’s covenantal promise to the seed or offspring of Israel:

“Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for a light by day, the ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, who disturbs the sea, and its waves roar (The LORD of Hosts is His name): ‘If those ordinances depart from before Me,’ says the LORD, ‘then the seed of Israel shall also cease from being a nation before Me forever.'” (Jeremiah 31:35–36)

God has blessed the Jewish People, and they are as secure as the stars in the sky.

Even though God has made the survival and ultimate salvation of Israel secure, Psalm 83 prophesies that in the Last Days, a confederacy will be formed before our very eyes that intends to wipe out the name of Israel forever:

“They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, and consulted together against Your sheltered ones. They have said, ‘Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.’” (Psalm 83:3–4)

There is only one way that Israel may be defeated; that is, through her own sin — by turning away from God. This is what happened to the people of Israel in this Parasha. Although Balak and Balaam failed in bringing a curse upon Israel, they brought destruction upon themselves by committing sexual immorality with the Moabite women and worshiping their god, Baal-Peor.

“So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel.” (Numbers 25:3)

Seeing His Chosen People worship pagan gods enraged God and resulted in a plague that killed 24,000 Israelites. Scripture reveals that it was Balaam, who counseled the Midianites to ruin Israel through association with their women. (Numbers 31:7–16)

The Rabbis, therefore, also discern another meaning of the name of Balaam as bilu-am — one who confused the nation.

What happened in the end to Balaam? After being ridiculed by his own donkey, who miraculously tried to save him by telling him about the end that lay before him, Balaam finally died in a battle with the Israelites. (Numbers 31:8)

So ended the life of one who was motivated by greed and selfish ambition rather than by God’s righteousness.

The Book of Jude underscores the error of false prophets like Balaam: “Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.” (Jude 1:11)

What was this grave error of Balaam that was serious enough to be included alongside Cain, who murdered his brother (Genesis 4), as well as Korah, who led a rebellion against Moses that resulted in the deaths of many Israelites (Numbers 16)?

We can glean the answer in the ancient Jewish text Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers), which contrasts Balaam’s sins with Abraham’s righteousness:

“Whoever possesses the following three traits is of the disciples of our father Abraham; and whoever possesses the opposite three traits is of the disciples of the wicked Balaam:

“The disciples of our father Abraham have a good eye, a meek spirit and a humble soul.

“The disciples of the wicked Balaam have an evil eye [greed/envy], a haughty spirit and a gross soul. …

“The disciples of our father Abraham benefit in this world and inherit the World To Come, and as is stated, ‘To bequeath to those who love Me there is, and their treasures I shall fill’ (Proverbs 8:21).

“The disciples of the wicked Balaam inherit purgatory and descent into the pit of destruction, as is stated, ‘And You, G-d, shall cast them into the pit of destruction; bloody and deceitful men, they shall not attain half their days. And I shall trust in you’ (Psalm 55:23).” (Chabad)

Yeshua also referred to Balaam, saying to the Believers at Pergamum:

“Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.” (Revelation 2:14)

And Peter referenced Balaam in his warnings to Believers; may the people of God today take heed:

“They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey — a beast without speech — who spoke with a man’s voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.

“These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error.” (2 Peter 2:15–18)

Why are there so many warnings about Balaam, and how are they relevant today?

Balaam, even after failing to curse Israel directly, continued to associate and cooperate with those who sought Israel’s destruction.

Some within the Christian Church not only associate with, but also financially support people, charities and causes with an anti-Israel and anti-Semitic agenda.

From the example of Balak and Balaam, we can see that being drawn into despising Israel is a dangerous path — and “talking donkeys appear to be in short supply these days!” (Wild Olive)

May God’s people disassociate from those who curse Israel and teach anti-Semitic lies. May the followers of Yeshua, both Jews and Gentiles, choose to stand with Israel to the very end and continue in holiness.

May God’s people disassociate from those who curse Israel and teach anti-Semitic lies. May the followers of Yeshua, both Jews and Gentiles, choose to stand with Israel to the very end and continue in holiness.

Let us bless Israel and pray that God will save her from all those enemies who try to curse her.

Let us also pray that the Jewish People will seek after God with all of their hearts and will walk in righteousness before Him. It is then they will find Him.

The post Balak (Destroyer): Discover God’s Blessings for Israel When Others Try to Curse Her appeared first on Messianic Bible.