Rabbi’s Reflections – Tuesday, July 12, 2022
Shalom,

Was Yeshua Successful? Part 7 of ???

I subscribe (as many of you may also do) to YouVersion, a Bible program that sends me a verse every day. (youversion.com)  Yesterday they sent me this verse.  It is the second to the last verse in the book of Ecclesiastes.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 A final word, when all has been heard: Fear God and keep His mitzvot! For this applies to all mankind.

If Solomon is right, after all is said and done, our mission is not that complicated.  Fear God and do what He commands.  In Hebrew it reads, “Shomair His mitzvot.”  The verse actually ends (a more literal translation), “for this (is the) whole man.”

Rudyard Kipling wrote an often quoted poem titled, “If.”  (https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46473/if—)  The poem is made up of “if” challenges people face in life.  It concludes with the line, “Then yours is the Earth, and everything that is in it, and – which is more – you will be a man, my son!”  Nice thoughts for a class on English poetry.

But what about the kingdom of God?  God is speaking through Solomon and giving us the essential wisdom, “Fear God!”  Then he goes on to explain what it means to fear God, “Shomair (protect, defend, guard) His commandments.”  Do this and you will be a whole man.  Who wants the Earth when Heaven is offered to those who love God and keep His commandments?

That was just a bonus (appetizer) for the real RR today.  Let’s look at the second purpose for Yeshua’s first coming in our quest to answer the question, “Was Yeshua successful?”

2. He is the image of the invisible God.  Since we can’t see God and live, Yeshua came as one of us so we could see the image of God manifest on earth.

It is a common Jewish objection to believing in Yeshua, the scriptures preclude seeing God.  Moses asked God to show him His glory.  God answered him… Exodus 33:20 But He also said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live.” Yet there are plenty of times and places described in the Bible where God did appear to people.  And it wasn’t just onesies and twosies either.

Exodus 24:9 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up. 10aThey saw the God of Israel. 11b So they beheld God, and ate and drank.

I have to ask, “With Whom do you think they were eating and drinking?”  My answer is Yeshua, what’s your answer?  Maimonides wrote his 13 principles of faith, considered to be the essentials of Judaism by much of the orthodox Jewish world.  About 1,000 years ago, he wrote principle #3, which starts with the phrase, “I believe in God’s non-corporality,” meaning God cannot have a body.  He wrote that one to refute the possibility that Yeshua could be God.

But Maimonides went on to explain that he intended to show that God doesn’t get tired, nor is He in any way affected by physical occurrences.  Clearly, since God is the creator of all things, if He wanted to create Himself a body, He could.  In fact, it was necessary to prove something.

God created the world to have fellowship with man.  He placed man in the garden and gave him dominion over all of creation.  But through rebellion, sin entered the world.  God had to send His Son to conquer sin.  Only Yeshua, the only man without sin, could complete the assignment given to father Abraham.  Genesis 17:1 When Abram was 99 years old, Adonai appeared to Abram, and He said to him, “I am El Shaddai. Continually walk before Me and you will be blameless.”

Abraham wasn’t perfect. Neither were Isaac or Jacob, and Jacob’s sons were far from perfect.  In fact, instead of getting more perfect (blameless), each generation became less perfect.  God needed to intervene.  His intervention was to send His Son, Yeshua.

Does it sound too good to be true?  Psalm 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest He become angry, and you perish along your way— since His wrath may flare up suddenly. Happy is everyone taking refuge in Him! If being right with God depends on us, we will always come up short.  Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not from yourselves—it is the gift of God. Still sound too good to be true?  It’s not just New Testament.  Psalm 81:11(10) I am Adonai your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.

Thank You, Lord, for Your completed work.  John 19:30 When Yeshua tasted the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.  Thank God, it is finished.

Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Tue 12-Jul-2022 13th of Tamuz, 5782
Nu 22:21-38 Eze 12 Ezr 10       (Lk 10) Eph 5:1-17
Ex 32:11–14, 34:1–10, Isa 55:6–56:8

Week 29
Memory Verse: Nehemiah 6:9 For they were all trying to intimidate us, thinking, “Their hands will become weak from the work and it will not be done.” So now, strengthen my hands!

141   7/11     Monday:        Nehemiah 7-8
142   7/12     Tuesday:       Nehemiah 9
143   7/13     Wednesday:  Nehemiah 10
144   7/14     Thursday:      Nehemiah 11
145   7/15     Friday:       Nehemiah 12