JOURNEYS, SINAI 6000

What does the God of Israel require of Gentiles?

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Image from www.myjewishlearning.com

Image from www.myjewishlearning.com

[First posted September 22, 2014, reposted August 13, 2015.  The incident referred to happened two years ago but the article fully explains what Sinai 6000 is about, an alternative lifestyle for Gentiles who have left a major world religion —Christianity—choosing to live a Torah lifestyle without joining yet another world religion Judaism.  The God of Israel and the Nations prescribe His Way of Life, His Torah, not joining a religion.—Admin1]

 

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Sinaites were invited to a gathering of Jewish men (and their partners) who have formed a local Jewish club in our city of residence.  The occasion for the gathering was to meet a young Jewish rabbi . . . he looked like one, black hat, black suit, white shirt, beard.

 

We were introduced and since the leader of the group was still under the impression we were ‘Jew-wannabe’, he added “they are interested in joining Judaism.”

 

I immediately corrected ‘no, we’re not interested in joining; we have done our homework on Judaism, it is not for us.’

 

The Rabbi asked, ‘so what are you then?’

 

And that’s always the opening for us to get a foot in the door, so to speak, of anyone even vaguely interested in what we stand for:  “We refer to ourselves as Sinaites.”

 
Image from www.canstockphoto.com

Image from www.canstockphoto.com

Rabbi:  “And what is a Sinaite.?”

 

In a nutshell, we explained:  “We are gentiles who live the Torah.  We don’t aspire to become Jewish or join Judaism; we recognize that the God of Israel has already delineated the lines between Israel and the rest of the world, the nations, Gentiles.  We know which laws and commandments apply to us from the Torah; we have isolated these from the ones specific for Israel and Israel only.”

 

We related our surprise upon discovering that the masses of slaves that left Egypt during the Exodus were a ‘mixed multitude’ of Jacob’s descendants and slaves from other nations, Gentiles.

 

No visible reaction.

 

 

Rabbi:   “So what have you concluded as applicable to you?”

 

S6K:  “Briefly:

    • the 10 commandments,
    • the dietary laws of Leviticus 11, and
    • 3 out of the 7 feasts of Leviticus 23.”
 

Rabbi:   “Which feasts?”

 

S6K:

1)The weekly Sabbath,

2) Shavuot which is the anniversary of the giving of the Torah, and

3) Yom Kippur since all men, whether Jew or Gentile sin against God and fellow-humans and need to repent of their sins.

 

This time he nodded, then asked further:  “And how did you arrive at all this?”

 

We said, ” by studying what is uniquely for Israel and what is universal for all humankind.”

 

He thought for a while, then said, “This is an interesting perspective, I have not heard of it.  I was exposed to the teaching of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson” and he gave us a calling card.

 

On one side of the card is a picture of Rabbi Schneerson with the text:

 

“The Rebbe calls You.  The seven Universal Noahide Laws that G-d gave to Moses on Mt. Sinai apply to all mankind.  The leader and prophet of our time, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, calls on us to unite around these precepts, for they are the secure foundation upon which to build society and a happier life for everyone.”

Moschiach is on his way.  Our part is to greet him by adding acts of goodness and kindness.”  — The Rebbe, CNN 1991

 

Long live our master, teacher, and Rebbe.  King Moschiach, forever!”

 

www.7for70.com

 

On the other side of the card is this:   THE SEVEN UNIVERSAL LAWS The Way to True Peace

 

1.  Believe in One G-d:

Reject any form of idol worship.

2.  Honor G-d:

Do not blaspheme.

3.  Preserve Human Life:

Do not murder.

4.  Respect Family Relationships:

Do not commit adultery, incest, homosexuality, etc.

5.  Respect Property:

Do not steal.

6.  Respect G-d’s Creatures:

Do not eat the flesh of an animal that is still alive.

7.  Establish honest Courts.

And a Just Legal System.

 

What was on the card struck us as strange, coming from a Rabbi, this one in front of us and the Rabbi Schneerson whose writings we have read in our Jewish resources.

 

Our discussion was cut short because the social gathering had ended, so we did not have time to express our view on the Universal Laws that apply to gentiles, embraced by the Noahide Movement.

 

We would have wanted to comment that we never read in the Torah text that such laws were given on Sinai, unless Rabbis made an out-of-context determination which they do in their books.

 

It makes sense since, in the NT Book of Acts, the Jerusalem Council made a resolution about gentiles coming to the synagogue (we have a post about this) and what should they be required to obey since they’re not Jews? (Acts 15).  We were taught by our Christian bible teachers that actually those requirements fall under Noahide laws, that’s the first time we heard of Noahide.

 

To move on:  the Sinaite position is expounded in the articles under the category SINAI6000 but briefly:  

In the progressive revelation of our Lord YHWH’s Will for humanity, we learn gradually through His interaction with handpicked figures or people groupings He communicated with in the Torah books:

  • He had specific commands given to the first couple for testing their free will to obey or disobey His instructions, with specific consequences for the latter;
  • Then as early as Cain we learn God’s position on the principle on which Torah living is based:  “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
  • With Noah, we learn of His wrath toward evil caused by sinful humanity, but also we see His mercy and get a glimpse of His being a covenant-making Deity who makes promises He keeps and who uses visual signs in nature, such as the rainbow, to serve as a perpetual reminder to  humankind (or those paying attention and believing that the flood account was real).

 In general, that is as much as one can glean from the narratives starting with the Creation to the Flood.  If the Creator/God who interacted with these figures stopped there, then that is all we are privileged and limited to know, but since He didn’t stop there and in fact went on with more teaching points in the tower of Babel, the call of Abraham, the specific line that issued from Abraham and Sarah that led to the formation of the distinct people who would carry the name of the third patriarch Yaakov/Yisrael—-well, then it is only reasonable and logical to conclude that with more light and more revelation, we go as far as the Self-Revealing God allows us to go.  And that would lead us to Sinai where the Torah was given, simultaneous with the birth of the chosen nation.

 

We could have joined Noahides, remembering them from our Christian bible study; in fact we checked them out and considered the possibility of affiliating ourselves with them . . . but after much research and discussion and deliberation, we concluded the Sinai revelation superseded the Seven Universal Laws determined by Noahides (or Rabbis) for Gentiles.  In fact, admittedly we were puzzled to read on the Rabbi’s card about Noahides.

 

 

Perhaps if they hear about us and understand our position, who knows, Sinai 6000 might be added to their calling card, for Gentiles to consider as the alternative to Judaism.

 

You think!?

 

 

 

 

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OPINION

Is our God a "jealous, wrathful, and a vengeful God"?

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Image from newcreeations.org

Image from newcreeations.org

[First posted February 3, 2013.  Why is there a misperception that the God of the “Old Testament” is anything other than how He describes Himself as “merciful and gracious” ? Because part of that self-description is His balancing act, being “righteous and just” Who rewards obedience but punishes wrongdoing.  And of course, in the conquest of the Promised Land by the 2nd generation led by the only surviving 1st generation who stood on Sinai —Joshua and Caleb—the marching orders of the God of Israel sound brutal in translation . . . and that is what registers in the minds of casual readers, or listeners of such hearsay from casual readers.  They miss the more important tactical order—offer peace first and if the population refuse, then conquer. Of course there is much controversy surrounding Israel’s claim to the Promised Land, then or now . . . . Anyway, here’s a sober article contributed by Sinaite BAN attempting to correct the bad reputation imputed upon the “OT God”. —Admin1].

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Is our God, a jealous, wrathful, and a vengeful God? This is a perplexing question asked by  believers and non-believers alike, not only in our times but in times past.  It causes a lot of pondering and discomfort for many, and historically, a source of derision and disapproval. 

 

Why do we ask such a question? I  believe the answer lies in our understanding of the words used to describe God with our 21st century comprehension.  It is through a misinterpretation of the words that causes us to attribute these words when describing God.  We have to remember that the prophets wrote the scriptures during a period when gods were perceived by the ancient near east culture as gods who can be capricious depending on their whims.

 

This issue is most of the time stated as a contrast between “God’s wrath and vengeance in the OT” as against “God’s love as exemplified in the NT”.  Unfortunately, the use of the words wrathful, angry, jealous, and vengeful are clouded by the English language and western culture of today, since the concepts involved in the biblical portrayal of God in which these words are used, are difficult to translate into single words.  For our times,  the best recourse is to examine the words as used in its context at the time of writing.  The three terms as used in Nahum 1:2 represents it best:

 

“The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;  the Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath.  The Lord takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies.”
 
A reading of the OT consistently portrays God as a passionate Being where the inner experiences of love, compassion, grief, delight, joy, peace, anguish and moral outrage at atrocity dwarfs ours in the extreme.  The bible speaks unashamedly of God’s passion, presenting him as an intense and passionate Being, very much involved in the world of man.  There is no embarrassment in God’s expressing emotions; rather, it is celebrated (2 Sam. 8:9-16, Ps. 145:8). 

 

The God of the OT desired fellowship and interaction with people in HIs World, but that He is a person and anger is part of the actualization of His desire.  This is fundamental to understanding the bible and to knowing God.  Emotions can be appropriate responses to given situations. For instance, the bible argues that just like us people, emotions are not mutually exclusive and exhaustive at any given moment.  Just as our parents could have felt anger, compassion, etc. all at the same moment, so too can we, and so too can God. God is described in these terms in the Prophets in his love for His people, Israel (compassion and affection) is also simultaneous with his feeling of anger at their atrocities against each other ad His hopefulness that they will end up treating one another better in keeping with the covenant contract they signed as a community. 

 

Hosea 11 is so vivid in showing the struggle in God’s heart.  There is no contradiction in ascribing multiple emotional stress to a person since we consistently experience these in our lives.   And God is apparently no different in that respect. 

 

Image from www.wheatandtares.org

Image from www.wheatandtares.org

As an example, God is said to be angry with the wicked everyday.  Wickedness in biblical term is generally related to treachery, atrocity, and oppression.  Of course, God is disturbed by this, at the same time, the bible says, God is patient, hoping the wicked will come around and rejoin the community in love, even nurturing them and influencing them in that direction.  His moral anger at personal evil has nothing to do with His being caught “off guard” or surprised by it.  His response is in the treachery involved, not the circumstance of it.  Same with us, if we read about human atrocity, in individual or group scale, there is no element of surprise in our response but still, we get upset.

 
JEALOUSY:  In biblical sense, this is essentially a passionate commitment to someone and his/her wellbeing.  The word refers to an exclusive single-mindedness of emotion which may be morally blameworthy or praiseworthy depending on whether the object of the jealousy is the self or some cause beyond the self.  In the former, the result is envy, or hatred of others, (Gen. 30:1, Priv. 3:31, Ezk. 31:9) which for the NT is the lack of love and therefore the enemy of a true believer’s fellowship.  However, the OT also presents the other possibility which is divine jealousy.
 
Divine jealousy is a consuming single-minded pursuit of a good end, (1King 19:10, Exo. 20:5)  This positive usage is frequently associated with the marriage relationship where a jealousy for the exclusiveness of the relationship is the necessary condition of its permanence (Numbers 5:11ff, Ezk. 16:38)
 
Jealousy is used solely of God, primarily in His self-revelation at Sinai (Exo. 20:5, 34:14).  Against this covenantal background, it denotes the Lord’s deep, fiercely protective commitment to his people and His exclusive claim to obedience and reciprocal commitment (Deut.4:24, 5:9).  When this reciprocal commitment is threatened either by Israel”s unfaithfulness or by foreign oppression, the inevitable expressions of such jealousy are “vengeance and wrath” directed to restoring that relationship. (Numbers 25:11).
 
Jealousy can be morally good or bad, depending on the motive behind the zeal.  As stated above, it refers to single-mindedness of emotion which may be morally blameworthy or praiseworthy depending on whether the object of jealousy is self or some other causes beyond self.
 
God is often presented as a jealous God in the OT.  Jealousy in essence is intolerance of rivals.  It can be a virtue or sin depending on the legitimacy of the rival.  God would allow no rivals in the covenant between Him and Israel.  He bound Israel exclusively to His service and swore to protect them against all enemies (Nahum 1).  It is important to note that divine jealousy is part of the “fire” that is ardent love.  Song of Solomon 8:6ff – the beloved’s desire to be the cause of such jealous zeal.
 
“Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong death,  its jealousy unyielding as the grave.  It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.  Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away.  If one were to give all the wealth  of his  house for love, it would be utterly scorned.”
 
In OT times, a seal was used to indicate ownership of a person’s valued possessions.   So the beloved asked to be her lover’s most valued possession that would influence his thoughts (over your heart) his actions (over your arm). 
  • Verses 8:6-7 sum up the nature and power of the love depicted in the song.  It is as universal and irresistible as death, exclusive and possessive (in the sense of being genuinely concerned of the one loved) as the grave, passionate as blazing fire, and as invincible and persevering as many waters ad rivers or all of this is true because love is supported by the Creator who possesses all power.  The words like a mighty flame are like the very flame of the Lord.  Thus, the Lord is portrayed as the source of this powerful love. 
  • Verse 8:7. The final statement about love depicted in the song is that it is priceless.  All one’s wealth would be totally inadequate to purchase such love.  In fact such love would be scorned because love cannot be bought.  If love is priceless, the answer is, it must be given, ultimately love is a gift of God.
This is a picture of the love God has and puts “jealousy” into a different light.  It is not insecurity or self-interest, but a powerful emotion in support of loyalty and intimacy.  We often fail to appreciate the intensity of this yearning of God’s heart for us, but OT prophets understood.  Hosea gives us a disturbing look at the inside of God’s heart.  But besides using the picture of marriage, Hosea uses the picture of a father to describe God’s unfathomable love for Israel, whom He loved in Egypt and drew to himself with bonds of love(Hosea11:1ff).  Israel turned away, so Hosea pictured the struggle which he saw as going inside God’s heart as that between the jealous wrath of a deceived father and His glowing love (Hosea 11:8ff) and shows the zealous and passionate love of God.  The love of God does not show destructive power, but tender and compassionate love, which suffers thru the faithlessness of His people and does not hand them to ultimate ruin.
 
Too often, our English language makes “jealous of” the default meaning of jealousy instead of the biblical “jealous for”.  Jealous of is envy and is not ascribed to God.  The “jealous for” means jealous for protecting and maintaining our enjoyable and fruitful relationship of intimacy.  “Jealous for” in context of His love for His people is used predominantly of God.
 
Joel 2:18ff:  “Then the LORD will be jealous for His land and on His people.  The LORD will reply to them:  I am sending you grain, new wine and oil enough  to satisfy you fully; never again will make you an object of scorn to the nations. (See the link between and pity)
Zechariah 1:14ff:  Then the angel who was speaking to me said, “Proclaim this word, This what the LORD Almighty says:  “I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion but very angry with the nations. that feel secure.  I was only a little angry but they added to the calamity. 
Therefore, this is what the LORD says, I will  return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there my house be rebuilt.  And the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem, declares the LORD Almighty.
 Proclaim further,  This is what the LORD Almighty says:  My towns will again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem (Note the contrast between “very jealous” and “very angry” and that it is aimed at mercy and blessing for His people)
 Zechariah 8:1ff:  Again, the word of the LORD Almighty came to me.  This what the LORD Almighty says:  “I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her.”
This is what the LORD says; I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem.  Then Jerusalem will be called the City of truth and the mountain of the LORD Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain. 
This is what the LORD Almighty says;  Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with cane in hand because of his age. City streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.  (Note that this jealousy produces closeness with God and benefits for His people)
 
We can appreciate how different the meaning of “jealousy” in the OT is, from our modern, negative sense.  It is a beautiful passionate commitment to someone, not a petty, insecure, suspicious outrage.  What is clear in biblical usage of jealousy is not equal to modern use.  What we have is not our customary meaning of jealousy but an expression showing commitment, intense ardor and protective love.,  God’s jealousy is a guarantee that we do not drift away.  He is our good shepherd and loving spouse.  This kind of intense and loyal and active trustworthy love is sought by all.
God’s wrath is often a topic of discussion.  As we read the OT about God’s wrath, we will come to a conclusion that it is not generally an emotion ascribed to God.  Most of the time, we compare God’s wrath to human anger.  The wrath of God in the OT is not the same as human anger.

 

As Abraham Heschel had written in his book, The Prophets, “it is essentially in some respects the difference between “passion and pathos.” 
  • Passion can be understood as an emotional combustion  which makes it impossible to exercise free  consideration of principles and the determination of conduct in accordance with them.  The OT discusses human anger much less frequently than divine wrath.  It shows human anger as a loss of self control and censures it as shown in the Wisdom writings. (Prov. 14:29, 16:32. 19:19, 29:22, 30:33. eccl. 7:9) 
  •  “Pathos on the other hand is an act formed with care and intention, the result of determination and decision.  It is not a “fever of the mind” that disregards standards of justice and ends in irrational and irresponsible action.  It is righteous indignation.  The wrath of God tends to be portrayed this way in the OT, especially in the Prophets, it seems not be an essential attribute or fundamental characteristic of Yahweh’s persona but an expression of His will;  it is a reaction to human history, an attitude called forth by human misconduct.”
 In the ancient near east, this kind of wrath was divine responsibility which the ANE (Ancient Near East) kings or gods carried out  to their human community as an act of judicial sentencing.  God is portrayed as angry with Israel for its repeated violation of its covenant obligations.  The driving force is duty to uphold moral foundation for human life. 

 

Wrath of God results because of His commitment to His people and not sudden rage.  Wrath of God is equal with the implementation of God’s judgment.  This judgment is not an angry response but judgment proceeding from a just legal context.  In justification of God’s wrath, the motive has rationality.  It helps us understand why God is angry.  It provides motivation for proper behavior. 
This leads us to the goal and purpose of God carrying out the judicial sentence; fulfilling His duty to His subjects/community, to intervene in support of the community welfare and moral stability of the group.  In short, the purpose for which royal wrath  is to re-instate the moral, civil, just order, by a restructuring event or series of events, primarily  dealing with removal of power or existence of the oppressors and or treacherous.
 
Various means are used to depict God’s wrath, but it always threatens the existence of those concerned.  The final aim of divine wrath is total destruction in the form of historical defeat and banishment from the land, this dealing with internal and nearby oppressors.
 
Note that the first OT occurrence of God exhibiting anger appears in passages intimately tied to God’s deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage (Exodus 15:7)  God’s divine anger first appears as God’s response not to generic human sinfulness but to whatever would impede efforts to free the Israelites from Egyptian enslavement.  Note that the restructuring is aimed at freedom for the oppressed Israelites.  Once done, the wrath is no longer active or needed.
 
The failure to provide the social justice implicit within the stipulations of the covenant also makes Israel liable to divine wrath (Ps. 50:21-22, Isaiah 1:23-24; 42:24-25, Amos 8:3-10; Micah 6) which is designed to lift up the poor and needy in the land.  Thus God’s wrath is righteous because it destroys the wickedness that impedes deliverance, (isaiah 34:2) and for this reason, the psalmists repeatedly yearn for it. (Ps. 59:14)  It is a means to an end—the goal is deliverance.
 
God’s anger is always a lawful reaction to the violation of a law or to opposition against his historically determined activity, in which God not only requires the violation or opposition, but also wills to effect the restoration and maintenance of the order, he has set between Him and man.
 
Reluctance in the performance of God’s duty is always evident.  God is often portrayed tempering his anger against Israel with compassion and love (Exodus 32:12-14, Isaiah 54:7-8, Hosea 11:8, Micah 7:18)  God is depicted as having the desire to restrain His anger.  God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  Despite its tragic necessity, God’s anger is not depicted as an emotion God delights in, it grieves God to be angry.  God does not give free rein to wrath, but is long suffering.  He warns people to repent as the writings of the prophets bear witness.  He is quick to show clemency, He exercises restraint as in the case of Nineveh.
 
Hence, wrath is associated not so much with final judgment as with the expression of divine judgment within history.  The biblical usage of wrath is the vigorous and welfare motivated intervention by God in breaking oppression and delivering His people, by forceful removal of the habitually and aggressively treacherous from their lives, and by a restructured reality, characterized by blessing and peace for the good.  This is indeed the hope of the abused, the exploited, the victimized, the violated everywhere that the good hearted God would see all this in history and say once again with reference to a wider group —
” I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt.  I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.  So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land.”
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CHRISTIANITY

If you don't believe in the Christian Savior, how can you be saved?

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Image from notashamedofthegospel.com

Image from notashamedofthegospel.com

[This was first posted April 12, 2012, reposted January 18, 2014.  We are approaching “Easter” in the Christian liturgical calendar, when Christians commemorate the death and resurrection of their Man-God Savior.   This was written by a Sinaite who was a dedicated Christian and Messianic all her life; in fact she is a holder of a masters degree in theology, from the Asian Theological Seminary.  She goes by the acronym BAN@S6K.  She has other posts, lots of discourses with a Christian missionary friend, check her out!—Admin 1.]

 

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Q:  How can you be saved if you don’t believe in the “christian” Savior?

 

The Christian belief that atonement can only be through Yeshua/Jesus runs counter to the provisions for atonement prescribed by the Hebrew Scriptures.

 

First and foremost, God and no one else provides the means of reconciliation and fellowship as attested by —

2 Chronicles 7:14:  And my people upon whom My Name is proclaimed, humble themselves and pray and seek My Presence and repent of their evil ways — I will hear from heaven and forgive their sins and heal the land.  

 

This negates any claim of forgiveness through the death of anyone.

 

In contrast to the Christian concept that man is hopelessly entrapped in sin, the Hebrew Scriptures provide ample testimony that although man may have an inclination towards evil, as stated by—-

 

 Genesis 8:21   Adonai smelled the pleasing aroma, and Adonai said in His heart, “I will not continue to curse again the ground because of man, since the imagery of man’s heart is evil from his youth, nor will I again continue to smite every living being as I have done.”

 

The means of personal reconciliation with God is always at hand as proclaimed by—

 

 Psalm 51:16-19:   Rescue me from blood guilt, O God, God of my salvation, let my tongue sing joyously of Your righteousness.  O Lord, open my lips, that my mouth may declare Your praise.  For You do not desire a sacrifice, else I would give it; a burnt offering You do not want.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a heart broken and humbled, O God, You will not despise. 

 

And Jeremiah 29:13  says—You will seek Me and find Me, if you search for Me with all your heart.

 

Hosea 6:6:  For I desire kindness and not sacrifice and knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

 

 

The Christian’s proclamation  “There is no salvation except in receiving Yeshua as Lord and Savior”  has no basis in the Hebrew Scriptures.  Its origin lies in the New Testament and has no bearing in the spiritual life of a true believer in the One True God.

 

Through repentance, prayer, fasting, and doing what is right, the Scriptures teach that everyone has the ability to return to God directly.

 

 

BAN@S6K

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Ezekiel 33:8-20
[AST/ArtScroll Tanach]
vs. 8 When I say to the wicked, O wicked man, you shall surely die; if you do not speak to warn the wicked man to turn from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at your hand.
vs. 9 But, if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you would have saved your soul.
vs 10  Therefore, O son of man, speak to the house of Israel; Speak thus, saying: if our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live?
vs. 11  Say to them, As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked should turn from his way and live; turn, turn from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?
vs 12  Therefore, son of men, say to your people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not save him in the day of his transgression; as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall by it when he turns from his wickedness; nor shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day when he sins.
vs 13  When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trusts in his own righteousness, and commits iniquity, all his righteousness shall not be remembered; for the iniquity that he has committed.
vs 14  And, when I say to the wicked, You shall surely die, if he turns away from his sin, and does that which is lawful and right;
vs 15  If the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has robbed, follow the statutes of life, without committing iniquity, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
vs 16  None of the sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him; he has done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.
vs. 17  Yet your people say, The way of the lord is unfair; but it is their way that is unfair.
vs 18  When the righteous turns from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, he shall die by it.
vs 19  But if the wicked turns away from his wickedness, and does that which is lawful and right, he shall live by it.
vs 20  Yet you say, The way of the Lord is unfair.  O you house of Israel, I will judge you, everyone according to his ways.
 
KETUVIM

Ha Satan in YHWH’s Heavenly Court?

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[First published in 2014.   The translation used here is a composite of various translations, though the main text is from The Complete Tanach by Rabbi A.J. Rosenberg, courtesy of Chabad.org.  For the Book of Iyov/Job specifically, we choose to use “sons of God” instead of ‘”angels” or the Hebrew ‘malakim’, and ‘the adversary’ interchangeable with the Hebrew ‘ha satan’ for reasons that will become clear as you read. And of course, we choose to proclaim the Tetragrammaton Name, YHWH instead of using LORD or HASHEM.–Admin1.]

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The book of Job is considered a literary masterpiece such that it is included among the MUST READ list of literature majors; something to marvel at because this ancient piece of writing is determined to be the earliest among the manuscripts of the Hebrew Scriptures. That should put us ‘moderns’ to shame if we can’t produce writing of this calibre in terms of poetry, plot, character development, wisdom, and more — it almost appears like God Himself penned the original manuscript.

 

As it is with translations, no doubt the English pales in comparison with the original Hebrew but literary merit aside, what is more significant is the insight we gain about God and man, and the problem of suffering in a way no other book confronts it. But we will reserve the in-depth and full discussion of Job for a future article. 

 

For this article’s specific topic, confine the discussion of Job only to it’s being listed as prooftext for the existence of the devil. It is our objective to check out claims and teachings if only to get the facts right, straighten out wrong thinking based on wrong interpretation of prooftexts which useTNK verses for justification.  It is one thing for a religion to write its Scriptures obsessing with the devil from the gospels to Revelation; it is another thing to use the sacred scriptures of a distinct people and use it as proof for doctrinal beliefs.

 

In the case of fallen angels and the occult, as we have already explained in previous articles, it is outright propagation of myth, legend, superstition, untruths that run counter to the foundational teachings in TNK.

 

So on to Job.

 

Who is this character referred to as “the adversary,” ha satan in Hebrew?  He not only appears as a prominent figure but also plays an adversarial key role against the narrative’s protagonist Job. If there is proof of a devil, this appears to be it!

 

Unlike “the serpent” in Genesis 3, ha satan in the context of Job is one of God’s creatures who has access to His realm, with whom He converses and interacts. John J. Collins, Introduction to the Hebrew Bible cites texts in various TNK books where ha satan appears and clarifies this character’s role:

 

In none of these cases [Zechariah 3, 1 Chron. 21:1] is Satan the demonic figure or devil of later mythology (he has that character in texts from around the turn of the era, including the New Testament).  Here he appears to be a member of the heavenly council, in good standing.  At least he has the right of access at meetings of “the sons of God” or lesser divinities (who are demoted to the rank of angels in later Judaism and Christianity).  His job, however, is distinctive.  He is a roving prosecuting attorney, who goes to and fro upon the earth to ferret out wrongdoing and put humanity to the test.

 

After a brief introduction on the character of Job, the narrative transports readers to YHWH’s heavenly court:

 

1:6  Now the day came about, and the sons of God came to stand beside YHWH, and ha satan  [the adversary], too, came among them.

 

Imagine, ha satan, the adversary is counted among the “sons of God” and given special mention.  If we think God cannot stand to even look at the Devil or would not allow this rebel to be in His Presence, shouldn’t we expect God to say:

 
 “Get out of my sight you evil fallen rebellious creature, you have no business being here with the other angels who have obeyed me 100%! You belong in hell, but go back to earth where I hurled you down and wait out your time there! Besides, you”ve got a future assignment to tempt Me when I metamorphose into the Trinity, and deal with Me as My alter ego, My Son.”  

 

Ridiculous? Absolutely, because instead He says— 

 

7.  YHWH said to the adversary, “Where are you coming from?” And the adversary answered YHWH and said, “From going to and fro on the earth and from walking in it.”

 

Notice that God is surrounded by his heavenly court of messengers (for that is all ‘angels’ are, part of the ‘heavenly hosts’,  messengers of God who do his bidding and sent on errands), yet He interacts with only one — the handpicked “son of God” to do the special task of testing humankind, the one who makes man aware he has free will to choose between two alternatives: walk God’s Way, or walk his way.  The same one who in this book will obediently carry out a strange divine assignment, the oppression of a so-far untested “righteous” man.  Now, is that the image portrayed in the Christian scriptures of Satan, Lucifer, the Serpent of Old, the Dragon of Revelation 12, etc.?

 

So the exchange between Creator and messenger continues:

 

8. Now YHWH said to the adversary, “Have you paid attention to My servant Job? For there is none like him on earth, a sincere and upright man, God-fearing and shunning evil.”

9. And the adversary answered YHWH and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing?

10. Haven’t You made a hedge around him, his household, and all that he has on all sides? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his livestock has spread out in the land.

11. But now, stretch forth Your hand and touch all that he has, will he not blaspheme You to Your face?”

12. Now YHWH said to the adversary, “Behold, all that he has is in your hands; only upon him do not stretch forth your hand.” Now the adversary left the presence of YHWH.

 

What are we to make of this? YHWH allows one of His angelic creations– the adversary — to challenge His perfect knowledge about the righteous life of Job and his heartfelt worship and devotion to God. This is only the first round of similar exchanges between God and ha satan about the increasing pressure to be applied to Job; in fact these exchanges show up like a familiar refrain throughout the book.  With each testing, we learn more about the extent of Job’s patience in suffering and his continuing faith in his God.

 

1. Now the day came about that the angels of God came to stand beside YHWH, and the adversary too came among them to stand beside YHWH.

2. Now YHWH said to the adversary, “Where are you coming from?” And the adversary replied to YHWH and said, “From going to and fro on the earth and from walking in it.”

3. And YHWH said to the adversary, “Have you paid attention to My servant Job? For there is none like him in the earth, a sincere and upright man, God-fearing and shunning evil, and he still maintains his sincerity. Yet you enticed Me against him.”

 

What?  This ha satan is able to persuade God Himself?  Does that sound like the Christian Devil who tempts Jesus (mouthing OT scriptures at that)  in the wilderness, but Jesus resists his every suggestion?

 

4. Now the adversary replied to YHWH and said, “Skin for skin, and whatever a person has he will give for his life.

5. But, stretch forth Your hand now and touch his bones and his flesh, will he not blaspheme You to Your face?”

6. And YHWH said to the adversary, “Here he is in your hands, but preserve his life.”

 

Notice that while God gives ha satan permission to afflict Job, he places a limitation on how far the adversary can go.  The wonder of this exchange, in case you hadn’t noticed is —-ha satan obeys his Creator’s will, just like all angelic messengers given assignments affecting humankind; in fact ha satan does not overstep the set boundary.   Now, does that sound like a rebellious fallen angel who will buck his BIG BOSS’s instruction? 

 

  9. Then his wife said to him, “Do you still maintain your sincerity? Blaspheme God and die!”

10. And he said to her, “You talk as one of the disgraceful women talks. Shall we also accept the good from YHWH, and not accept the evil?” Despite all this, Job did not sin with his lips.

 

Thanks to the continuing infliction of pain upon Job by ha satan on assignment from God, we continue to get a glimpse of Job’s strength of character and unswayed devotion to God; instead he curses the day he was born. If there’s a character who develops admirably and truly emerges as a “hero” here, it’s not God nor ha satan, but Job, the clueless victim of  . . .  well, two heavenly bullies, a nagging wife, and friends, supposedly sympathetic, yet who point their accusatory fingers at him.

 

The narrative moves on to the three friends of Job who give their two cents worth about why Job is suffering and of course all three are off.  Readers are privy to why Job is suffering, knowing the conversation and ‘bet’ between God and ha satan.  For now, we will leave it at that since we’re dealing only with ha satan here.

 

Conclusion:

  • Does this book confirm that there is an adversary, a ha satan used by God for His purposes?  Yes.
  • Does it prove “Satan” the Christian Devil and his fallen angels exist?  No.
 

It is our understanding that since this book has been relegated to the third division of the Hebrew Scriptures –the Ketuviim–-or “The Writings”—- it is to be considered as divinely inspired writing coming from the understanding of its author who is not named.  Hence, one does not build a doctrine on it except where it affirms and conforms with the foundational teaching of the TORAH.

 

For interesting discussions on Job and the question of why man suffers, here are three books with differing perspectives and conclusions:

 
  • Atheist turned Christian, C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain
  • Christian turned atheist, Bart D. Ehrman, God’s Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer our Most important Question —Why We suffer
  • Consistently Jewish in Judaism, Rabbi Harold S. Kushner – The Book of Job: When Bad Things Happened to a Good Person (Jewish Encounters)
 

For additional commentary on the book of Job, please check out these posts:

Image from www.doxologia.ro –

 

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CHRISTIANITY

"Father" in the Trinity – "the Old Testament God" – the same?

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[Here’s a repost from December 31, 2013 &  June 20, 2015 timed on the occasion of ‘Father’s Day.’  Since we are approaching the Easter season which focuses on the ‘Son’ of the Christian Trinitarian Godhead, perhaps it is timely to focus as well on the ‘Father’ in that Divine Triumverate.  Son and Father are ‘One’ plus a third Person, the Holy Spirit, but how the three function separately and together is a “mystery.”  

 

We have our earthly father, but also address God as ‘Father in Heaven’ or ‘Heavenly Father’.  Did the real chosen people, the true and original Israel, the one referred to as ‘firstborn’ of the God of Israel ever address their God as ‘Father’?  This article does not answer that question; rather it discusses if the First Person of the Christian Godhead who is addressed as “Father” to distinguish him from the Second Person “Son” is the same in character, in essence, in nature, as the God of the “Old Testament.”  —Admin1.]

 

 

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Here are sample exchanges Sinaites have had with Christians/Messianics who presume the “OT God” and the “NT Trinity/Father” are one and the same:

 

   [C for Christian, S for Sinaite, M for Messianic].

#1:   C:  “Just in case you’re right, I’m playing it safe; I’ve started including the Father in my prayers.”

S: “What’s his name?”

C: “Does it matter, it’s the God who created me.  Anyway I can’t remember whatever that name is, Ye—Ya, whatever your [M teacher] calls him.”

S1: Yod Heh Vav Heh?  S2: “Our [M teacher] calls him ‘Yeshua’.”

C: “Whatever.”

 

#2:   C: “Jesus has answered my prayers all my life; that’s proof enough that Jesus is God.”

S:  “But we should not base our proof on ‘answered prayers’ or something as subjective as ‘experience’; we should rely on objective divinely revealed Truth, otherwise everyone else praying to his/her chosen god will make the same claim—the Virgin Mother, or some Saint, or the statue rumored for miraculous healings at a certain tourist shrine.”

C:  [Silence.]

 

#3:  M: [after praying “Adonai Elohim” and other Jewish words taught by Messianics] he ended with “in the mighty name of Yeshua Ha Maschiach.”

S:  “Sorry, I can’t ‘Amen’ that last part of your prayer, but I can ‘amen’ everything else you prayed about.”

M: “It’s OK ma’am.”  [After 3 more teaching sessions, this young man ended his prayer with] “in the mighty name of . . .  the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

S: “That one, I can say ‘amen’ to, but are you saying it only for my sake or do you believe it yourself?”

M:  [Smiled.]

 

#4:  C: “When I say Father, that’s one and the same as the God you’re talking about.”

S: “No he’s not, you’re referring to the Father in the Trinitarian godhead, that’s not the same as the God of Israel or the God on Sinai.”

C:  “Why not?”

 

Perhaps it is time to clarify this particular confusion although other aspects have already been covered in the series of articles IN HIS NAME.

 

When people forget your name and call you something else, do you feel offended that they can’t remember your name?  Or that they confuse you with someone else? Or they know your name but pronounce it differently so that you can barely recognize it? Parents sometimes run through two or three names of their children before they hit the right one; but the child being addressed, understandably does not respond until he or she hears his/her name. Each person is a unique being and expects to be recognized for who he/she is and respond accordingly to the proper name he/she is known by.

 

If ordinary human beings would want to be properly identified, shouldn’t this apply all the more to the One True Creator God who should get ALL the credit for the wonders and marvels of His created order? Shouldn’t he be properly acknowledged for His perfectly designed creatures and human beings, and thanked for the built-in provisions and additional blessings He pours into our lives every moment of our time on earth?   Should He not rightly deserve the worship of mindful people who are made in His image?

 

If the Jews themselves revere the NAME to the point they don’t dare say it or write it down but know it nonetheless, should we gentiles show any less concern, care and reverence for the Name and Identity of the God who made sure humankind would not only know about Him, but know HIM as much as He can be known through His Self-Revelation? If He had never revealed Himself through His acts in natural revelation and special revelation and in the history of the chosen people, we may indeed be excused for our ignorance but we have no excuse not to know in this day and age.

 

Knowledge of truth is one thing, acting on that knowledge is another; the former without the latter hardly accounts for anything for us nor for the God who requires of us a response to every little piece of verifiable truth we stumble into or consciously seek after.  There would be centuries when this would not have been possible, because biblical truth was denied the masses by the very authorities who mishandled as well as tampered with God’s original revelation . . . that would NOT be the Jews who were commanded what to do with the Sinai revelation in the Shema [Deuteronomy 6:6-9].  In fact to their credit,  they have fulfilled their mission by recording it all in their Scriptures for the whole world to read if anybody cares to.  Because of them, access to that revelation has been made possible for centuries now.  The problem is no longer access but its acceptability as absolute Truth, divinely revealed rather than man-made.

 

So how does the “Father” in the Trinitarian godhead differ from the God revealed and portrayed in Israel’s sacred scriptures and national history?

 

  1. The God in TNK revealed His Name as YHWH.  
IAmYahweh-1 
  • The “Father” in NT Scriptures has no name, just a title of relationship to the “Son” who does have a name — Jesus, and a title, the Christ. Everyone knows the Son’s name because it is the crucial name to mention at the end of all prayers. Some people guess that the Father’s name might be that strange-sounding name they’re reluctant to say because most Christians don’t connect to it so it is hardly mentioned except by some Christian denominations which, because of it [and other deviations from official church doctrines] are relegated to cultic status.
 

2.  The God in TNK repeatedly declares that He is One, as in ALONE, there is no one before or after Him.  

  • The “Father” is part of a Trinitarian One-ness, who was the One revealed as early as the OT as some kind of a first installment . . .
  • until the second installment in the Son appeared in human form at the mutually agreed upon time even though he was already functioning as Creator and a host of other roles in OT . . .
  • while the third installment Holy Spirit shows up here and there all over the OT but is hardly noticed until he is officially poured upon believers in the Son on the Jewish feast of Pentecost and forgotten again except by ‘Pentecostals’ and ‘Charismatics’ who focus on him more than the other two persons in the Trinity.
 

3.  The God of TNK does not share His glory with any other. 

  • The Father shares with Son and Holy Spirit and in fact allows all glory and honor and worship to his Son, as the book of Revelation declares.
 

4.  The God in TNK had a chosen people, a chosen nation, Israel, through whom He gave His Torah to model to all other gentile nations.  

  • The Father with the other 2 Persons,
    • has [have?] a different chosen people—
    • only the believers in the Son,
    • officially known as the “church”
    • and also “the New Israel.”
 

5.  The God in TNK made a covenant with Israel. 

  • The Father [and the other 2 in the Trinity] supposedly made a “new covenant”  with the Church.
 

6.  The God in TNK called Israel His ;suffering servant’.

  •  The Father’s suffering ‘Servant’ is the 2nd Person, the Son.
 

7.  The God in TNK considered Israel His’ firstborn’.

  •  The Father has his one and only begotten Son, Jesus the God-Man.
 

8.  The God in TNK also referred to Israel metaphorically as His wife, albeit an adulterous wife, who sought after other gods.

  •  The Father in NT allows the Son to have a faithful “bride” and that would be the Church; there will be a wedding celebration when he comes a second time, like a bridegroom fetches his bride.
 

9.  The God in TNK does not have a “mother” since He is the First and the Last.

  •  The Trinitarian Godhead allow[s?] the Son to be conceived as a human embryo in the womb of a virgin.  
  • Where they [the Father and Holy Spirit] were during this time is beyond man’s understanding so don’t ask,
  • it’s a mystery how this all works out in their divine scheme.
 

10.  The God in TNK condemns adultery.

  •  The Father and Holy Spirit cause embarrassment to poor Saint Joseph
  • who is betrothed to the virgin Mary
  • who herself has to face shame for being pregnant not by her husband to be . . . although. . . . since it is all in the divine plan, so be it.
  • If true,  what a truly admirably great obedient couple Mary and Joseph were.
  • Did the God of the NT violate his own commandment by allowing the Holy Spirit to impregnate a virgin, thereby causing a ‘virgin birth’?  Actually when you really think about it, it is not the ‘birth’ that is the NT miracle, it is the ‘miraculous conception’.  All this you have to accept ‘by faith’.
 

11.  The God in TNK keeps saying He hates human sacrifice and stops Abraham from sacrificing Isaac during Abraham’s test of faith and remember, it was only a test of faith.

  • The Father in NT supposedly ordains his only begotten Son
  • to be sacrificed in his human form
  • to fulfill his [their?] requirements
  • for blood sacrifice
  • to get some kind of divine satisfaction.
 

 

12.  The God in TNK declared in Debariym 4:2 – 

 

You will not add to the word which I command you, neither will you diminish from it that you may keep the commandments of יהוה [YHWH] your ‘Elohiym which I command you. [HNT]  

 

  • The Father in NT allowed additional revelation after the closing of the canon of TNK, according to the Christian teaching on ‘progressive revelation’;
  • in fact a whole “new testament” appeared with doctrines that run contrary to most everything declared in its OT prequel, condemning Israel as ‘blind guides’ for still obeying ‘the Law’;
  • To make sure the NT will no longer be superseded by yet another surprise 3rd canon, a harsh warning is given in Revelation 22:19:
  •  “I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.” [NASB]
 
Image from doubleportioninheritance.blogspot.com

Image from doubleportioninheritance.blogspot.com

Let’s stop here . . . really, are we dealing with a schizophrenic God?  

 
  • Does it appear like the God of the Hebrew Scriptures and the Father in the New Testament are one and the same?  
  • Are we dealing with a God
    • with a split personality
    • or an inconsistent God
    • who changes his mind and his plan
    • to the disadvantage of his first chosen people
    • who are left ignorant of the change
  • Paul in the book of Romans explains plan B.
 

Twelve differences should be enough to chew on here, even if there’s more we can conjure up.  If any reader is not content with these 12 or has a point of contention with any of the 12, you are welcome to say so in the box below “Leave a Reply” and we will do a postscript on this.

 

The Sinaite’s stand on this topic: “There is NO Plan B.”

 

 

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CHRISTIANITY

Q&A: Isn’t the Trinity ONE GOD?

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[This was first posted in 2012; yet another attempt to figure out a mathematical puzzle:  the mystery of a tripartite deity and how he or they function.  All for one and one for all, or should it be all in one and one in all, a triunity.  Christianity teaches that the Father is beyond the sinner’s reach except through the Son; and after the Son opens the Way to the Father, there is the bonus of the Holy Spirit who then takes residence in the believer.  The source of this reconfiguration of the One True God into a Trinitarian Godhead? The “New” Testament.  So what does the “Old” Testament teach?—Admin1]

 

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Q:  Isn’t the Trinity ONE GOD?

 

A:  Since the 3rd-4th centuries when the doctrine of the Trinity was debated in Church Councils, there has undoubtedly been confusion over how the ONENESS or UNITY of God—which is repeatedly emphasized throughout the Hebrew Scriptures by God Himself— could morph into a Biannity first, then on to a Trinity.  Hard as you try to reconfigure how 3-in-1=1, it just doesn’t add up, least of all mathematically!

 
Many explanations have been offered to illustrate a triune God:
Image from christianity.stackexchange.comsuch as

one triangle

with 3 sides

or 3 angles;

 

 

trinity_omega

 

 

 

a “Godhead”

of 3 Persons:

Father

Son

Holy Spirit

 

 

Image from hd-images.info

Image from hd-images.info

 

 

or H2O in solid,

liquid and

gaseous state,

3 manifestations

of the same God.

 

 

 

If you still don’t ‘get it’, then relegate it to the category that men will never understand called “mystery” and shut up already.  

 

 

Not a problem . . . but it’s confusing to read in the Gospels how —
  • God-Son prays to God-Father,
  • God-Father forsakes God-Son while dying on the cross;
  • God-Spirit descends on God-Son at baptism;
  • God-Father sends God-Spirit on various errands.

 

How can—

  • God pray to God,
  • God abandon God,
  • God send God . . .

—-well, God can do anything, right?   And if that’s how He chooses to function, so be it….except this just doesn’t fit the God of the Hebrew Scriptures.

 
So back to the question: isn’t the Trinity One God? Let’s listen to how God defines Himself:
 
Exodus 20:3 You shall not recognize the gods of others in My presence.  
 
Num.23:19  God is not a man that He should be deceitful, not a son of man that He should relent, Would He say and not do, or speak and not confirm?
 
Deuteronomy 6:4  Hear O Israel,
YHWH is our God, YHWH is the One and Only.
 
Deuteronomy 32:39  Know therefore, this day, and consider it in your heart, that the Lord is God in heaven above and on earth beneath, there is none else;
 
1 Sam 15:29  Moreover, the Eternal One of Israel does not lie and does not relent, for He is not a human that He should relent.
 
1 Kings 8:27, 60  Would God truly dwell on earth?  Behold, the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain You . . . all the people of the earth shall know that YHWH is God–there is no other.     

 

Isaiah 40:25  See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no God besides Me.
 
Isaiah 43:10  “To whom then will you liken Me, that I will be equal?” says the Holy One.
 
Isaiah 44:6  Before Me, no God was formed, neither shall any be after Me

 

Isaiah 44:24 I am the First, and I am the Last, and besides Me there is no God.
 

These are only a few sample verses; if you truly seek to know the God of Israel, the Self-revealing God on Sinai better, then read His Torah.

 

The beginning of wisdom is the ‘fear’ of God, not just any god of men’s imagination, but the God of the Hebrew Scriptures.

 

You WILL find HIM if you seek Him with all your heart.  He is a Unity as in ONE, not a Trinity.

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SINAI 6000

Revelation in a Nutshell

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[This was clicked quite often lately, from the SITEMAP page and ABOUT US.  This was written when we first started this website, six years ago; our position has not changed in general, although our scriptural references have, since we’ve decided only the TORAH, the “T” in “TNK” –the acronym for the Hebrew Scriptures—is what we consider as repository of “the very words of YHWH”, the God we have decided is the One True God as revealed in the first book of the Hebrew Scriptures.  We have written many articles elaborating on the ‘whys’ of recognizing only the Torah, these are listed in the SITEMAP, a few selections to click here:

—Admin1]

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 SINAI 6000 – Perspective on Man’s Search for GOD/TRUTH

 

To visualize this, draw 4 lines one on top of the other.  Level 4 is the highest line

and level 1 is the bottom line.

Each line represents the level of man’s understanding of God,

–the lowest level being the most basic knowledge man can reach based on his experience, observation, philosophical musings;

–the highest level is what God has chosen to reveal to man.  

Levels 2 and 3 represent how man

–handles

–or mishandles God’s revelation,

if and when he is exposed to it in the Hebrew Scriptures.

4. Y H W H – GOD’S DOMAIN

Level 4: The UNKNOWABLE Level

4.1    This highest level is GOD’s domain, HIS realm.

 

4.2    Man cannot ever know all that exist on this level, it is simply beyond  man’s limited thinking, alien to man’s finiteness, beyond human comprehension.

 

4. 3   GOD is infinite, all superlatives apply to Him, man cannot even begin to imagine what GOD is truly like. [Isaiah 40:9-31]

 

4. 4   It is man’s folly to try to put GOD in a ‘religious box’—

    • to confine HIM [Isaiah 46:5];
    • try to define HIM according to man’s imagination of what He’s like;
    • put boundaries that limit HIM such as bringing Him down to the level of man;
    • and make conclusions that we have HIM figured out such as doctrines about His nature or character.
    • “For My thoughts are not your thoughts and your ways are not My ways . . . As high as the heavens over the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.“ [Isaiah 55:8]

4.5    Unless GOD reveals to man what is on this level, man cannot ever know. [Job 38:1-2]

 

4.6    Thankfully, GOD does indeed care that mankind would know HIM—

    • Who HE is [Ex. 20;2-7]
    • What NAME HE should be known by [Ex. 3:13-15]
    • What HE’s like [Exodus 34:6-7.14]
    • What HE requires of the only creature HE made in HIS IMAGE [Micah 6:8]
    • and endowed with free will and freedom of choice [Deuteronomy 30:15-16]

4.7    GOD condescends and makes HIMSELF known to man [Isaiah 48:17]

  • but only to the extent that man can comprehend [Isaiah 28:9-10,13].

4.8    This “KNOW ME-Package” that GOD programmed for mankind’s education about HIMSELF is given in the Sinai Revelation.

 

3. DIVINE REVELATION on MT. SINAI

Level 3–The Hebrew Scriptures

3.1    This Divine Revelation is given on Mt. Sinai, to—-

    • Moses [Psalm 103:7/Deuteronomy 34:10/Numbers 12:7-8]
    • and the mixed multitude [Exodus 12:37-38] composed of
    • Israelites
    • and non-Israelites.

3.2   This original revelation was given—

    • at a particular period in biblical history,
    • in a specific site in the ‘Wilderness of Sinai’ [Exodus 19:1-2]
    • outside of the Promised Land [Deuteronomy 11:11-12],
    • on Mount Sinai “the mountain of GOD” [Exodus 18:5]
    • where GOD descended “in the sight of the entire people” [Exodus 19:18]
    • to “the children of Israel” [Exodus 19:17/Deuteronomy 14:2]
    • whose history as a people formed by God Himself began with the Patriarchs–[Exodus 3:6]
      • Abraham [gentile],
      • Isaac [gentile]
      • Jacob [Israel].

3.3    It is significant to note that gentiles have always been part of GOD’s plan; that in the giving of HIS REVELATION on Mount Sinai,

    • gentiles were part of the multitudes who left Egypt
    • and gathered with the encamped Israelites “opposite the mountain”
    • who responded with the chosen people:  “Everything that GOD has spoken we shall do!”  [Exodus 19:8/24:7]
    • who were included in the prayer of Solomon during the dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem [I Kings 8:41]
    • and in the declaration in Isaiah 56:1-8, among many other verses.

3.4  The revelation is COMPLETE only in the sense that in GOD’s accommodation and condescension to man’s limitations, it is ALL that man—

    • needs to know about HOW he is to relate to GOD, that is according to God Himself [Deuteronomy 12:10-17]
    • and WHAT man is to apply in community [Exodus/Leviticus/Numbers].

3.5  It is complete and NOT “progressive,” as though something has yet to be added to it, for there are warnings regarding later additions that do not conform with this original revelation. [Deuteronomy 4:2/13;1]

 

3.6  What IS progressive is man’s DISCOVERY and UNDERSTANDING of GOD’S revelation, NOT the unfolding of the revelation.

 

3.7  On Sinai, GOD reveals HIS NAME: [Exodus 3:13-15/6:2-3]

  • YHWH, a NAME to be proclaimed to all mankind;
  • it is interesting to note that there is no biblical admonition against declaring the Tetragrammaton YHWH for the whole world to know and proclaim [Deuteronomy 28:10];
  • and that in fact, the reason the world today barely knows The Name is because the Jews consider it so sacred,

—so much so they refuse to say it or write it

—and instead, substitute circumlocutions like “HaShem” [The Name];

—the Jews are so careful, they do not wish to violate the 3rd commandment that warns against using GOD’s Name in vain [Exodus 20:7]

3.8  And yet YHWH declares “Wherever I permit My Name to be mentioned, I shall come to you and bless you.”  [Exodus 20:21]

3.9  All other non-names referring to HIM have been mere titles;

      • before Sinai, man knew HIM only as Creator,
      • and to the patriarchs as El Shaddai “God Almighty” [Exodus 6:2-3]
      • to Moses “The GOD of the Hebrews” [Exodus 7:16]
      • and to Israel in many experiences they have had with HIM as
        • Rock,
        • Shepherd,
        • Provider,
        • Nurturer,
        • Protector,
        • Shield,
        • King,
        • Fortress, etc. [II Samuel 22:2-3]
      • “Mighty God”, “Eternal Father”, “Wondrous Adviser”, “Master of Legions” [Isaiah 9:5-6]

3.10  Visually, manifestations or theophanies of GOD were–

  • the burning bush [Exodus 3:2],
  • Shekinah [Glory Cloud] and pillar of fire [Exodus 13:21];
  • and a voice that thundered [Exodus 20:15-16/Deuteronomy 5:19-24]
  • a “consuming fire, a jealous God” [Exodus 34:14/ Deuteronomy 4:24]

3.11  TORAH, the first five books attributed to Moses’ are —-

    • GOD’s guidelines for living,
    • HIS blueprint for life on planet earth;
    • instruction and teaching, laws and precepts [Psalm 119]
    • outlining GOD’s requirements for all mankind [Deuteronomy 29:13-14]
    • but initially given to a specific people [Deuteronomy 4:5-8]
    • formed and prepared for this very purpose [Deuteronomy 4:20/7:6-8]
    • to model in community [Deuteronomy 4:6-8]
    • this prescribed lifestyle for all nations [Isaiah 51:4-5/60:3]
    • not just for Israel [Deuteronomy 26:16-19]
      • the “righteous nation” and “keeper of the faith” [Isaiah 26:2]
      • “a light to the nations, to open blind eyes” [Isaiah 42:6/49:6]

3.12  Torah commandments have been counted, categorized and numbered, totaling 613.

  • Of these 613, 248 are positive commandments [“Thou shalt . . .”] and 365 are negative commandments [“Thou shalt not…”].
  • Of these 613, not all are applicable to every individual, for there are specific laws confined to classes of people [Israelites, women, Levitical priests, the high priest, prophet, foreigner/stranger/sojourner, etc.]
  • Some apply only to the Mishkan [Tabernacle in the wilderness]
  • Some apply to the Temple in Jerusalem
  • Some are applicable only when the chosen people are in the Promised Land.
  • Some teach man how to relate to GOD,
  • and others —-Israelite, parents, children, siblings, neighbor, enemy, “the stranger/sojourner/foreigner among you”
  • Some pronounce blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience.

3.13  The Decalogue, the “Ten Words” or the “Ten Commandments” summarize the basics or weightier matters of the law, such as righteousness, justice, mercy, love, holiness.

 

3.14  These 10 are further condensed simply to—

  • (1-4): “love God above all ” [Deuteronomy 6:5]
  • (5-10): “You shall love your fellow as yourself” [Leviticus 19:18]

3.15  To the TORAH, is added NEVI’IM [The Prophets] which contain—

    • the messages of YHWH to the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah,
    • through the Prophets of Israel,
    • pronouncing specific judgments upon nations
    • and violators of Torah,
    • as well as blessings for obedience,
    • and prophecies concerning the chosen nation’s ordained destiny throughout her history until the “end of days.”
    • these prophetic messages ALL relate to how the nation lives out or fails to live out the Torah.

3.16  KETUVIM [The Writings] concludes the Hebrew canon—these are divinely inspired literature —

    • proverbs,
    • prayers,
    • books of wisdom,
    • narrative history,
    • stories,
    • chronicles,
    • which reinforce, elaborate, expand and further clarify what has already been revealed in Torah.

3.17  Together, Torah/Nevi’im/Ketuvim form the Hebrew canon of 24 books known as TNK, [Tanach/Tanakh].

2. Man dares to EDIT GOD’S WORD

[Red for caution]

 

Level 2: “Judeo-Christian” Heritage

Sorry, no spoon-feeding here for obvious reasons—-we don’t wish to offend sincere seekers who are just as zealous in worshipping and serving the God of their chosen religious affiliation. We believe that each person is on his/her own pilgrimage towards seeking God and learning about Him through His revelation; that they turn to religion to get closer to God is a sign that they are at least seeking a relationship with Him.

For seekers who veer off into their own independent study instead of depending on others to teach them what to believe, there are those who never stop studying and therefore, learning, till their dying day. They move closer to the truth with each new day than they were the previous day, for each one is a work in progress; nobody ever really arrives knowing ALL there is to know, for there is so much to learn, and a lifetime of study is not enough.

It is also not enough that one is seeking and searching and studying. Just as important is the SOURCE of truth: how reliable are the sources that we study? How do we know true from false? What if we have wasted almost a lifetime on the wrong sources?

Our gracious Creator knows and understands our limitations and just like a loving Father, He leads and arranges circumstances in our lives to show us the guideposts as well as warning signals. . . but are we alert to these? We were given brains to think logically and base our beliefs on the evidence before us. But how do we sift through the evidence? Are “changed lives” and “sincere and pious religious people” proofs that they are indeed worshipping the True God? Does it matter, as long as we believe there is a God?

For example: among the listings under “Resource Sharing”, you will find Jacques D. Doukhan’s book Israel and The Church: Two Voices for the Same God. There is a general perception that since the sacred scriptures of Israel were attached to the canon of the New Testament, the two parts of the Christian Bible, often linked together under “Judeo-Christian” heritage are about the same God.

This is the part where you, the reader, will have to think or do your research on the following questions:

 

1.   Do Jews and Christians really worship the SAME GOD?

2.   Name the God the Jews worship, and define His Nature according to His own declarations to Israel, as recorded in their Scriptures.

3.   Name the God the Christians worship, and define His Nature, according to the declarations of the New Testament book authors.

4.   What does the Old Testament God require of Israel and the gentile nations?

5.   What does the New Testament God require of all peoples, Jew or gentile?

If you observe religious people who practice what is preached by their priest/pastor/guru, you will notice that all religions have good teachings regarding human behavior toward God and toward one another. Therefore, if there are devout and pious God-loving Jews, Christians, Buddhists, Moslems, Hindus, even atheists and agnostics who do good toward their fellowmen, what then constitutes the most basic issue that make them differ from each other?

 

We submit that it is the answer to one question: Who is your God?

Back that up with a more specific question: What is His Name?

And other questions then arise, such as:

  • Do you know Him as He has revealed Himself?
  • Does this now require an adjustment in your belief system and in the way you live your life from hereon?

Deuteronomy 4:2:

“You shall not add to the word I command you, nor shall you subtract from it, to observe the commandments of YHWH, your God, that I command you.”

Level 1: NATURAL REVELATION

 

1.1  On this level, man can go two ways:

1.2   One way is to deduce that man is the highest on the chain of beings,

  • and that there is no one higher than man to whom he will be held accountable;
  • the atheist, agnostic, skeptic, evolutionist—all decide that no one made this world, it simply exists, no further questions asked;
  • this person therefore does not seek,
  • is content with living his existence to the end of this life;
  • lives his life according to what he thinks is best for him;
  • because if this is all there is to his existence, then he is accountable to no one but himself—man,
  • for there is no higher authority;
  • he is on the top of the chain of beings,
  • the only one with the brains!

1.3   The other way is just the opposite—SOMEONE ELSE other than man—a Creator, a higher authority—-is responsible for this world.  The general term used is “God.”

1.4  Natural revelation is the extent of what man can mentally and experientially determine about the Maker/Creator of the visible world he lives in.

 

1.5  On this level, man can perceive that there is indeed a Maker/Creator.

  • What this Being is like, man could only conclude from observable phenomena.
  • Man could “guess-timate” that this Other Being creates with magnificence, grandeur, harmony, beauty, variety, balance, ingenuity, coordination, perfection, logic, purpose, creativity, immense power, with intricate designs from barest simplicity to utmost complexity.

1.6   The courses offered in schools are results of man’s study of this world and the vast universe; knowledge that is obvious, predictable, dependable; courses such the natural sciences, physical sciences, mathematical sciences, etc. are exact, quantifiable and provable.

    • Other studies such as social sciences, humanities, psychology, behavioral sciences, are observable but inexact, unpredictable, and just not conclusive.

1.7  Man knows there is a Maker but he doesn’t know what to do about this Maker—how to relate to Him—because he has no idea what this Maker is like.

 

1.8   He is fearful of this UNKNOWN—–

    • and therefore devises ways and means of dealing with this unknown Maker
    • by devising RELIGION
    • which we define as man’s recourse to reach/relate to an unknown being he acknowledges as superior to man.
1.9   This unknown superior being, this Other-ness has been assigned different names in different cultures; the generic word is “god.”

 

1.10  Man could only imagine what this Other is like, so he resorts to all kinds of religious expressions, attempts to worship, all based on man’s imagination of what this god might require.

 

1.11   IF man on this level of natural revelation is not further illuminated or enlightened by Divine Revelation, then man remains a worshipper in his ignorant/limited ways, and this results in mythology, legends, superstition, occult, fengshui, known world religions.

 

1.12   Man’s concept of god is usually based in natural phenomena —god of the sea, sun god, god of thunder and lightning, or man’s own imagination.

 

1.13   As long as man is seeking GOD—and worships according to his limited knowledge and left to his own devices—as long as he remains unenlightened by the TRUE GOD but is acknowledging there is SOMEONE bigger and more powerful and on a higher level of being than man himself, then . . . in GOD’s perfect justice, mercy, wisdom, and love for mankind, GOD understands and honors true seekers and leads them on to paths that ultimately lead to HIM, even if they go through man-made religions, as long as they continue seeking until they meet HIM in the Hebrew Scriptures.
Psalm 103:14
“For He knew our nature; He is mindful that we are dust.”

1.14  An interesting passage is Malachi 1:11

 

“For from the rising of the sun to its setting, My Name is great among the nations, and in every place [where offerings] are presented to My Name, and also pure meal-offerings, My Name is great among the nations, says YHWH, Master of Legions.”

The context of this verse is post-Sinai in the biblical timeline. Through HIS mouthpiece Malachi, the last of Israel’s prophets, the LORD YHWH tells Israel that—-their imperfect sacrifices are not acceptable to HIM, because— they have beenTorah educated, forewarned, and knew better than to continue violating HIS commandments particularly with regards the Temple sacrificial system which, in the first place, is simply an accommodation to the Israelites’ exposure to the nations’ sacrificial systems.

Strangely enough, GOD then mentions worship and sacrifices being offered by the gentile nations— which were never reached by divine revelation, and thereby not illuminated by Torah guidelines, presumably these would be the rest of the inhabited world not within the vicinity of the Biblical nations, “those ‘who have not heard”. To GOD, those sacrifices are acceptable to HIM only because—-these were offered in ignorance, because these worshippers did not have the benefit of Divine Revelation. [Jonah was sent to Nineveh to teach them about True God]. In seeking to please the UNKNOWN GOD. these UN-enlightened worshippers were in effect worshipping the TRUE GOD, they just didn’t know HIM.

Psalm 53:3

“From heaven God gazed down upon mankind, to see if there exists a reflective person who seeks out God.”

Ezra 8:21-22

“. . . the hand of our God is benevolent to all who seek Him, and His might and anger befall all who forsake Him.”
1.15   Question: What about the nation-groups in Exodus which Israel’s GOD commanded the Israelites to annihilate, they too were ignorantly worshipping gods of their making, why were they so harshly judged?Answer: The nations during the time of the Sinai Revelation were well aware of what the GOD of Israel had done in Egypt—news travelled around by word of mouth in those days; what happened in Egypt reached the nations/peoples in the area.

Rahab in Jericho said to the men:

“I know that YHWH has given you the land, and that fear of you has fallen upon us and all the inhabitants of the land have melted because of you, for we have heard how YHWH dried up the waters of the sea of Reeds for you when you went forth from Egypt and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were across the Jordan –to Sihon and to Og –whom you utterly destroyed. We heard and our hearts melted — no spirit remained in any man because of you–for YHWH, your God, He is God in the heavens above and on the earth below.” [Joshua 2:10-11]
1.16   Many were in awe of that newly-revealed GOD; they knew HIS NAME, as announced to the Pharaoh. Those nations were judged according to whether or not they took Israel’s GOD seriously.

 

1.17  The Amalekites heard but did not heed, and so they were judged [Exodus 17:8-15/Numbers 24:20].
“Amalek is the first among nations, but its end will be eternal destruction.”

 

Other nations likewise heard but waged war with Israel [Numbers 21:21-35/22:5/24:18-24/31:1-11]

1.18   GOD cannot blame man for his ignorance at this level, if GOD has not taken the step to reveal HIMSELF to man.

 

1.19   But thank GOD, HE did not leave man ignorant —go back to Line 4 [highest line].

SINAI 6000

The Point of No Return

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[ First posted in 2013;  updated, since Sinaites have reached the ‘point of no return.’   What point is that?  Read on.—Admin1]

 

———————–

 

 This is the introductory statement to the post: 

 

The WAY of YHVH – 5 – TORAH FAITH for Non-Jews?

 

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Non-Jews . . . Gentiles like ourselves,

Sinaites,

who have discovered the TRUTH

that there is ONE GOD

whose Name is YHWH,

Creator,

Revelator on Sinai,

the God who chose the nation of Israel

to be His light to the gentiles—

what are we now to do about this discovery?

 

Each person has to make a decision:

stay where you are,

or change direction.

It is not an easy decision to make.

You go against a lifetime of Christian influence

[entrenched within yourself]

and a tidal wave of opposition from Christians.  

But what little loss is that compared to the gain—

the One True God YHVH?

How can that be a “loss”?

It places you in the historical entry point into the promised land

at the end of the Israel’s wandering in the wilderness,

when Joshua challenges the second generation 

who were born and survived those 40 years:

 

If it is evil in your eyes to serve YHVH,

choose today whom you will serve:

 the gods your forefathers served across the River,

or the gods of the Amorite in whose land you dwell.  

But as for me and my house, we will serve YHVH! 

Joshua 24:15.

 

Update 2015:  

 

Eversince we left our Christian faith in 2010,  our Christian connections,  i.e., those who have not dropped us from their ‘give-up-on’ list— (ministers, friends, co-workers in the fellowships/churches we belonged to)— continue to warn us, remind us, and some even strongly condemn us, that we are not only ‘unsaved’ but ‘hell-bound’ unless we change direction and return to their Christian Savior.

 

Indeed, New Testament teachings, particularly those of Paul, have turned against the original teachings of its proclaimed ‘roots’ —the Hebrew Scriptures .  Councils of men have turned the universal relationship with the One True God into an exclusive belief in a Trinitarian Godhead, particularly the second person in whom is combined the inherent natures of Divinity and humanity into the God-Man Jesus.

 

Get under the Christian umbrella of different Christ-centred sects and you’re ‘safe’ or better yet and in effect, ‘saved’ by the shed blood of the Christian human sacrifice called the ‘Lamb of God’.  

 

Saved from what and from whom?  

 

One of the surprising things we learned from reading the Hebrew scriptures is that unless the translator is borrowing Christian terminology, there is actually no word in Hebrew for “salvation” the way Christians use it.  ‘Redemption’ yes, but within the context of the Exodus narrative and ‘deliverance’ by the God of Israel on many occasions when Israel’s national life or existence was threatened. 

 

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We have long since walked away from Christian teaching, having repeatedly said ‘no.’   You might say we have finally reached the ‘point of no return’ — no turning back, no way we can turn back, knowing what we know now.

 

 It’s really about stepping out of one’s religious comfort zone, venturing out of the boundaries and limitations of man-made religion, and moving toward the ultimate source of one’s beliefs.  

 

In our case, the shift was from New Testament claims back to . . . not ‘Old Testament’ but the Hebrew Scriptures, un-edited by Christian translators, just as the Jews have originally recorded according to their traditional hand-me-down transmission of what Israel and mediator Moses heard on Sinai.  

 

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Image from www.alefpress.org

[Update January 2016: For an excellent background resource on how far English translations have veered from the original Hebrew, we will feature in MUST READ/MUST OWN:  The Grammar of God: A Journey into the Words and Worlds of the Bible, by Aviya Kushner.  If you’re eager to read it now and want your own copy, it is downloadable from amazon.com; otherwise, wait for our series of posts featuring chapters of the book.]

 

Discover the Sinai Revelation in the five books of Moses, the Torah and— if read in its proper cultural/historical/literary context—you will awaken to the discrepancies in the Christian Bible of Old and New Testaments.  With no basis of comparison, it is easy to swallow only one source of truth that one decides to base faith on.  

 

Recall the Pharaoh who refused to believe in the warnings of YHWH, the God on Sinai who sent Moses to deliver His messages?  Nine times Pharaoh hardened his heart, refused to heed what he heard, what he was told, what he was warned about . . . and the 10th time, Scripture says YHWH hardened Pharaoh’s heart.    

 

Is this applicable to us, Sinaites?  

 

Is moving toward YHWH’s original revelation and away from questionable sources of truth on which man-made religions are based a ‘hardening of the heart’?  Condemnable?

 

Why do our Christian colleagues think we are unsaved and damned when we’re still believing in God, the one they consider ‘the Father’ in their Trinity? There are of course teachings that you can’t go to the Father directly except through the Son.  Sigh. . . . how did simple faith in the self-revealing God on Sinai become so complicated, not to mention so exclusive? 

 

Turn it around:  have our Christian connections heard from us in defense of our stand and YHWH whom we now worship and serve?  Some of us have had running discourses with them, posted on this website.  Some of us have had many discussions face to face which never amount to anything but hard feelings and distance.  

 

Religion is difficult to shake off from those who are convicted that only they are right and everyone else is wrong.  Read the many discourses we have posted; the discussants are different but the Christians all sound the same in their attempt to convince that Jesus is Lord and Savior of all mankind.  Admittedly, we too sound like a broken record, mouthing the same phrases we’ve repeatedly emphasized in our expression of our new-found faith, although faith in YHWH is as old as gentile Abraham and Hebrew Moses.

 

Yes, we have reached our point of no return, to us that IS good news!   And here’s more  ‘good news’ in a Sinaite’s version of the ‘gospel’ —  for Christians, there is NO point of NO return!   They can still change their direction at any time they discover the One True God.   YHWH’s truth is available for anyone even vaguely interested, just like we were at the beginning of our change of direction.

 

 In the case of Pharaoh,  he could have heeded what he heard, he was given 9 chances to do so.  In fact Pharaoh might have been given more than 9 chances basing on what one commentator on Hebrew language has explained,  that in antiquity there was a tendency to round off numbers and their counting was simplistic: ‘one, two, and many’.  The number 9 in the Exodus context however was really 9, since it was related to the 9 plagues before the final 10th that does turn the Pharaoh around, his ‘turning point’ in his decision not to free the Hebrew slaves . . . though evidently he did not turn from his faith in the pantheon of Egypt’s gods toward the God of the Hebrews. 

 

Looking back, we Sinaites also have had many opportunities to hear YHWH’s voice all through the decades we were Christians.  Thankfully, we were given more than 9 chances, falling in that vague quantity “many.”  Phew! And praise the One True God YHWH!

 

 What about our Christian colleagues?  

 

We’re no Moses, but we do deliver the same message:  

 

Hear O Ysrael, hear [O Gentiles!] 

YHWH is Lord, He is One.

 

There is no point of no return while there is breath!  We are not Pharaoh, being required to free Hebrew slaves; we’re simply being asked to free ourselves from whatever bondage we are in—call it ignorance, laziness, complacency, stubbornness, close-mindedness, self-imposed blindness, tunnel vision, definitely self-chosen bondage to whatever and whomever!  Some of our Christian colleagues are heads of huge churches, fellowships and congregations.  They owe it to their flock to review the source and foundation of their long-held beliefs; there is no more reason in this age to be ignorant of any subject, but as we’ve been repeatedly told, “just have faith!”  But faith must be based on truth.  The New Testament claims its roots in the Old Testament; venture into reading the Hebrew Scriptures instead of the “Old Testament”  . . . and read with an open mind, minus Christian theological interpretation of it.  

 

Hear and heed, the Revelator on Sinai has spoken.  His voice reverberates through six  millennia onto our days and till the end of the age.  If we heard, so can you, so can anyone else. . . but only if you’re listening because you’re  still seeking . . . but if you’re not . . . well . . . let’s leave that sentence hanging for speculation, but why speculate?  

 

If it is evil in your eyes to serve YHVH,

choose today whom you will serve:

. . . .

But as for me and my house, we will serve YHVH! 

Joshua 24:15.

 

 

 [Updated January 28, 2016]

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OPINION, SINAI 6000

Blind Faith vs. Belief based on Evidence

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[First posted April 1, 2013.  Features Sinaite VAN who ‘fast-forwarded’ his trek to know the God on Sinai, or so we fondly imagine . . . .

Many more similar discussions followed the incident recounted here dated three years ago, a credit to the two gentlemen of differing faith, who nevertheless endeavoured to continue their expression of convictions but never saw eye to eye, as is to be expected.—Admin1]

 

————————

 

On “Easter Sunday” late afternoon, just when the sun was at its most comfortable suntanning angle signalling it was time to take a siesta,  a group of Sinaites and non-Sinaites were about to wrap up a most enjoyable drawn-out luncheon. But before anybody could initiate the parting of ways, the NONO topic suddenly surfaced out of the blue.  There is ONE topic Sinaites avoid, nay shun, discussing with those outside of our little circle —and that topic obviously is:  why did we leave mainstream Christianity and what do we believe in now.

 

Actually, that topic is like an ‘elephant in the room’ whenever we get together with two kinds of people we socialize with: unbelievers and Christians. We are all conscious it’s there, sometimes even wearing a bright yellow suit screaming for attention, so obvious yet nobody dares bring it up unless we want to ruin a so-far enjoyable get-together.

 

Why such a topic is disturbing to any otherwise calm conversation is a universal experience; as they say, you never discuss two things in a mixed social gathering:  politics and religion.

 

Yet somehow, we suddenly found ourselves listening to a discourse between Sinaite VAN and the devoted Catholic husband of another Sinaite who has, to his credit, been quite tolerant and friendly toward us; even attended our Purim celebration during which he got quite emotional while discussing that same ‘elephant’. Since that last occasion, we had managed to keep conversation on every topic conceivable except that one. Who started it that afternoon, who knows but there we ended up uncomfortably.

 

To the credit of the discussants, both kept it at a polite and gentleman’s level, calmly stating their position, giving the other time to express his view without interrupting, patiently waiting no matter how long it was taking the other to get to the point.  Did they eventually meet eye to eye?  No.

 

Among the differences that became obvious in each side’s position, one point stuck in the minds of the peanut gallery (i.e. we, the silent listeners who were trying hard not to butt in by biting our tongue) and that is:  the difference between “blind faith” and “belief based on facts.”

 

The Catholic made his point clear:  any time you can explain God, He is no longer God; and any time you can explain faith, it is no longer faith.

 

What can a Sinaite say to a person who is so convicted?

 

It is pointless to bring up the fact that the only thing we will ever know about God (with assurance) is from what He chooses to reveal about Himself.  And if God wants us to know how we are to relate to Him and to one another, He would have to tell us and not leave us guessing. If He did not do just that, then anything goes, we are free to forever guess what He is like and what He requires of us.  He cannot blame us for resorting to that and we should not be punished for guessing in our effort to want to know Him and please Him in the human ways we know how.

 

If you have observed another person all your life without ever speaking to that person, you could possibly find out his name from other sources, come to some conclusions about him from your observations, and that would be about all you will know. But if that person talks to you and tells you everything there is to know about him, then you have a basis for your knowledge of him, granting he was truthful about everything he told you. His life and actions should validate his words about himself. If our own parents make sure we as children, know what they expect of us while living at home, how much more the Creator of this universe who seeks a relationship with mankind and evidently has already done so, if we are to beileve the Hebrew Scriptures?

 

This invisible God who created us did not just create us so we could live our lives any way we please; surely we were created for a purpose:  to know Him.  But to know Him, He has to tell us what He is like in terms we can understand within the limitations of our human understanding.  That is why the Hebrew language and Hebrew thinking is so perfect for YHWH’s revelation, because we are taught in terms we can understand—speech, acts, experience, history, the Divine experienced in tangible ways.

 

The New Testament written in Greek and influenced by Greek philosophical world view teaches us big words like justification, sanctification, glorification, abstract concepts that are difficult to grasp by the more simple minded.  The “Old” Testament translates those words into the acts of God in the history of mankind, specifically the history of Israel.

 

—————————————————

 

A day later, Sinaite VAN sent in this article [highlights added]:

 

Faith vs. Knowledge

My Christian friends are always speaking about “faith.” To me this sounds a lot like blind faith. Is that really the essence of religion?

 

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

I’m afraid that this is another case of a Christian concept being mis-associated with Judaism.

 

Let’s first define our terms. What is faith?

 

Webster defines faith as “Belief without proof.”

 

What is knowledge? “An acquaintance with truth, facts or principles through study or investigation.”

 

Faith is usually a product of desire. Have you ever gotten a tip on the market that guarantees you’re going to triple your money in a month? A lot of smart people have gotten fleeced because they ignored the evidence and went with their feelings.

 

Knowledge, on the other hand, is based on evidence. We know there’s a place called China because we have too many products in our house saying “made in China.” There’s a lot of evidence for the existence of China, even though most of us have never been there.

 

Judaism unequivocally comes down on the side of knowledge, not faith. In Deuteronomy 4:39, the Torah says:

“You shall know this day, and understand it well in your heart, that the Almighty is God; in the heaven above and the earth below, there is none other.”

(This verse is also contained in the prayer, “Aleynu.“)

 

This verse tells us that it is not enough to simply know in your head, intellectually, that God is the Controller of everything. You must know it in your heart! This knowledge is much more profound than an intellectual knowledge. God gave us a brain because he wants us to think rationally about the world, our role in it, and our relationship with God.

 

A conviction based on desire or feelings alone has no place in Judaism. The Hebrew word “emunah,” which is often translated as faith, does not describe a conviction based on feelings or desire. It describes a conviction that is based on evidence.

 

Once this knowledge is internalized, it effects how a person lives.  A person with this knowledge could transform every breathing moment into a mitzvah, for he would do everything for the sake of the heaven. But this is not a “knowledge,” that comes easily. Only intensive Torah learning and doing mitzvahs can achieve this knowledge. Every word of Torah we learn moves us just a little bit closer to that goal. And everyone is capable of that.

 

To learn more, read “The Knowing Heart,” by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (Feldheim.com). This entire book is an explanation of this verse!

 

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Wow, let us all get that book!  If you fail to get yours, we will feature parts of it in articles on this website. Meanwhile, there is much to learn from the Jewish websites, please check out the links we have listed here.  They are way ahead of us in this pilgrimage but we are all travelling on the same pathway. We thank them for indeed being YHWH’s ‘light’ to us gentiles.

 

NSB@S6K

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OPINION

YHWH – Not The Name, but only one of many appellations for the One True God?

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Image from yahweh.yolasite.com

Image from yahweh.yolasite.com

[This was first posted October 9, 2013, reposted December 21, 2014.  As indefatigable seekers of the One True God and His Revelation,  part of our journey are times we review our position when challenged by new findings.  This article shows the process we go through every time we discover more ‘truths’ in our research,  when we have to re-examine our position and correct any misunderstanding, misinterpretation, or mistaken conclusions in the past which result in re-adjusting our thinking and our position.  Transition is a crucial place to be and a good place to be, if we know how to go through it, ever conscious that in research, there is much to discover or uncover, learn as well as unlearn. An open mind accompanies our love for Truth and for the God of Truth Who spoke in the history of the chosen people to whom His Truth was imparted, who were given the responsibility to make that Truth known, that it might lead the ignorant to that God who is not only their God, but the God of all peoples and all nations. 

 

On the topic of the Name of the One True God, we are certain about our stand — but what it means in the original language, we are still on research mode.  Obviously we are dependent heavily on Hebrew/Jewish sources, as they—more than anyone else — know best how to read and interpret their own sacred scriptures in the language they speak and read and understand and interpret. —Admin1]

 

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Oy vey, as the Jews would say in dismay. . . only now it hit us!  And quite unexpectedly . . .  meaning, we never before questioned the Tetragrammaton as the Name of the Ineffable True God;  in fact we had been declaring it all over this website, that the ONE TRUE GOD’S NAME is YHWH, according to Him (please refer to all the posts that previously settled this truth for us).

 

Are we shifting our position . . . that the YHWH is not the Name of the One True God?

 

 

Characteristic of any GOD-QUEST and TRUTH-Quest is keeping an open mind, checking out as much information as there is available “out there.” This requires time as well as availability of reliable and verifiable sources, not to neglect counterchecking the teaching with scripture.  Remember, we are in transition, have not “arrived” and probably never will, since TRUTH is a lifetime quest, and our Almighty Creator, True Deity, cannot nor ever be confined nor defined by human language, much less limited to a Name!

 

 

But, you might reason out just as we have:  surely if there is one way to identify the One True God, it must be a Name He Himself has revealed to man, and that would be in Exodus 3-6 which have been our prooftexts for our short-held belief.  However, in our eagerness to start declaring YHWH as THE NAME,

  • we failed to consider that we were not reading scripture in its original language, Hebrew or Aramaic,
  • and that English translators either took liberties or were ignorant of the original meaning of biblical characters’ appellation.
    • Example, “adamah’ or man from the dust became simply “Adam”.
  • We also failed to constantly keep in mind  that Hebrew names in scripture were not “names” in the way we gentiles think of ‘names’;
  • that the names we read often, if not always, have a qualifying phrase or word explaining its meaning when initially introduced.
    • Hence, Esau, Noach, Abram, Yacob, were all derived from a characteristic of the person either at birth or as character was formed,
    • or as God had transformed him or used him in His plan.
  • And that is perhaps why, as persons transformed from what they started as, like Yacob to Yisrael, they assume new names according to their new identity or new reputation or new character for which they will be remembered.

 

 

We arrived at our conclusion because three readings finally sank in, unfortunately not soon enough nor early enough.

 

We are dumbfounded at this recent realization and admittedly, cannot add any more to the information we’ve gathered to present here. While we wish to accommodate readers’ request that we copy/paste the whole unedited articles here because they often have difficulty going to the links, we respect the authors’ understandable request that we simply direct the truly curious and interested directly to their websites, and so that is what we will do.

 

 

Hopefully, each one will continue studying the articles recommended, consider, ponder and reach his own conclusion which would be either:

  • “ahhhh soooooo” . . . . or
  • “Nope, I don’t buy it” or
  • “I’ll check it out further to my satisfaction”
Image from cozykitchenchats.com

Image from cozykitchenchats.com

—-the last being the Sinaite’s unspoken motto.

 

 

So finally, what have we, Sinaites, decided to call the One True God?

 

 

Any of the following:

  • YHWH [and after much research, we have chosen to pronounce the Tetragrammaton as “Yahuwah” instead of “Yahweh”],
  • the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
  • the God of Israel,
  • Creator and Sustainer,
  • Almighty God/El Shaddai, Elohiym, Adonai,
  • the Self-Revealing God on Sinai,
  • the Giver of Torah,
  • Lord of Hosts,
  • the Eternal,
  • the One and Only,

 

Master of the Universe . . . .

We know WHO HE IS.

 

 

HE knows who is His specially when His call on HIM and the Name He has revealed Himself.

 

He is all of such attributions, and more.

 

Just as important, we should know who He is NOT.

 

And definitely, what is not His Name!

 

 

NSB@S6K

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