Rabbi’s Reflections – Wednesday, June 17, 2020
Shalom,
Shema lesson 8: Only 2 words today. In the colored image above, line 5, the two words in orange. U’V’Shach’b’cha U’V’Qumecha.
U’V’Shach’b’cha: (When you) lie down to sleep. This Shoresh is found over 200 times in the Hebrew scriptures.
U’V’Qumecha: (When you) rise up. Kum is the Hebrew word for rise. We find it at the beginning of Isaiah 60 “Kumi Ori” Arise, shine, for your light has come! The glory of Adonai has risen on you.
When are we to speak of the words of God? Yesterday we learned to speak of God when we are in the house and out of the house. Today it’s whether we are up or down. In or out, up or down, it doesn’t matter, God wants us to speak about Him in every situation.
Week 25
Memory Verse: Ezekiel 36:26 Moreover I will give you a new heart. I will put a new spirit within you. I will remove the stony heart from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Ruach within you. Then I will cause you to walk in My laws, so you will keep My rulings and do them.
121 6/18 Monday: Jeremiah 31:30(31)-39(40); 32-33
122 6/19 Tuesday: Jeremiah 52; 2 Kings 24-25
* 123 6/20 Wednesday Ezekiel 1:1-3; 36:16-38; 37
124 6/21 Thursday: Daniel 1-2
125 6/22 Friday: Daniel 3-4
Question of the day: Ezekiel was prophesying in Exile for 22 years. His prophesies follow 3 themes: Judgment on Israel (chapters 1-24), Judgment on the nations (chapters 25-32), and future blessings for Israel (chapters 33-48).
The question of the day is, “How do they do it?” How do the proponents of “Replacement Theology” push their agenda that there is no future for Israel, in light of 16 chapters of Ezekiel dedicated to the proposition that there is a future for Israel?
Rabbi Trail: I highly recommend the book, “Future Israel” by Dr. Barry Horner. Dr. Horner is a Baptist theologian originally from Australia but currently residing in California. His doctorate was on the content of “Pilgrim’s Progress,” as evidenced by the name of his ministry, “Bunyan Ministries.”
In “Future Israel,” Dr. Horner completely and totally debunks every major proponent of “Replacement Theology,” the idea that the church has replaced Israel in receiving the blessings of God. His book leaves them nothing upon which to stand but “sinking sand.”
Hear the words of Yeshua, Matthew 7:26 Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”
BTW, every time I end an RT (rabbi trail) I think to myself that it would be good to end replacement theology, the “other rt.” End RT.
Answer: There are 16 chapters of Ezekiel dedicated to detailing the future blessings God has for Israel. Part of chapter 36 and all of chapter 37 is our text for today. But, there is “way more” about God’s undying and eternal love for Israel throughout the Bible.
Of course, “replacement theology” proponents hang their hats on any number of “switcheroos.” First, they want you to believe that Israel sinned away its chance for grace. Aren’t we glad that same “rule” doesn’t apply to us? How can we be so quick to assign it to Israel?
If that doesn’t work (and it doesn’t) then the “replacement theology” (I have to put it in quotes because it is a false teaching) proponents flip to an effort to persuade us that Jewish people are not really Israel. They propose that Jewish people are just a bunch of descendants of “converts” who do not have the blood of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in them.
The “good news” is that there is both a spiritual reality and a physical reality. Yeshua is God (Spirit) in the form of a man (flesh). John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us. We looked upon His glory, the glory of the one and only from the Father, full of grace and truth.
“Grace and truth” is “spirit and truth.” Yeshua was speaking these words to the woman at the well… John 4:24 “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” Yeshua immediately tells her that He IS the Messiah, the one for Whom she is waiting.
All of this, and I haven’t yet quoted one word from Ezekiel. These prophesies are perhaps the greatest in history. God shows Ezekiel a vision of dry bones which represent the whole house of Israel. Ezekiel prophesies life… Ezekiel 7:12b ‘Behold, I will open your graves. I will bring you up out of your graves, My people. I will bring you back to the land of Israel.’ But then he goes on to prophesy spirit and life… Ezekiel 37:14a I will put My Ruach (Spirit) in you and you will live.
What follows is the prophetic vision of the unification of the two kingdoms under the rule of one King, Yeshua. Ezekiel 37:24a My servant David will be king over them. 25b My servant David will be their prince forever. Let me ask you a question… Is this Israel and Judah only, or there another spiritual reality of two loaves of wave offering, (Leviticus 23:17) of Jew and Gentile? Is the “middle wall of partition” finally torn down?
The conclusion is this… Ezekiel 37:26 I will cut a covenant of shalom with them—it will be an everlasting covenant with them. 27b I will be their God and they will be My people. 28 Then the nations will know that I am Adonai who sanctifies Israel, when My Sanctuary is in their midst forever.’”
There is a oneness prophesied which the world has never seen. Zechariah 14:9 Adonai will then be King over all the earth. In that day Adonai will be Echad (One) and His Name Echad. Both Israel and all the surrounding nations will submit to God’s authority. Zechariah 14:16 Then all the survivors from all the nations that attacked Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, Adonai-Tzva’ot, and to celebrate Sukkot.
That’s all for today. What? You wanted more than the end of the world, with one people worshipping one God? All the people of earth get to join with Israel in worshipping the One True God 24/7. Is there anything better?