3.25.25
Good morning!
Is it part of God's plan to fail and get back up (Prov. 24:16)? Could we be looking at failure completely wrong? Have you ever failed at trying to achieve the bullseye in life? Last night's zoom call answers the question in this week's Torah portion, piqudei (Ex. 38:20-40:38). As Zig Ziglar, of blessed memory, said, If anything's worth doing right it's worth doing wrong...long pause...until you get it right.
If yesterday's study was an enigma to you, let's unwind the enigma in our minds and return back to our story in 2 Kings 17...
"They feared the Lord/et YHVH hayoo yere’eem (in other words, they became afraid) and served their own gods according to the custom of the nations from among whom they had been carried away into exile. To this day, they do according to their earlier customs: they do not fear the Lord/eynam yere’eem et YHWH... (2 Kgs. 17:33,34)
After all they learned, after the 'lions' mouths had been shut, how could they fear the Lord and yet continue to serve their own gods? How could they go back to not fearing the Lord? How can people who truly fear the Lord practice the kind of fertility cult behaviors described in this section (like burning children alive (2 Kgs. 17:17))? How can the text tell us that these people “feared” the Lord and then turn right around and tell us they didn’t fear Him? Enquiring minds want to know.
They became emotionally fearful of the Lord. In other words, they were scared of what the Lord/YHVH might do, but that didn’t stop them from worshipping the fertility gods (Passover's coming...not Easter). They had an emotional reaction of fear, not a reverential and obedient reaction of awe and respect. They simply accommodated YHVH/the Lord into their current pagan practices as one more god to be appeased. Ugh!
Then, in verse 34 we have a behavioral, not emotional description of their fear. It's a statement about disobedience and a blatant disregard for the statutes, ordinances and commandments of Torah. Double Ugh!
Clear as muddy water, right? Go back and look at the two verses again...Did you notice the two different descriptions of the word for fear/yare’. That might satisfy the scholarly side, but is that the end of our study...intelect?
Remember that a priest from exiled Israel is sent to instruct these people in the ways of God (2 Kgs. 17:28). They are in trouble. Lions are eating people (2 Kgs. 17:25). They want the danger to pass. But after the priest gives them an archery demonstration and lessons, they simply incorporate what he teaches into their current practices. They might shake a little over this new god that they've been introduced to, but they aren’t willing to follow Him exclusively. They just add Him to the pack. As the text says, “To this day they do according to their customs." Passover's coming!
What about us? To this day, are we still doing according to our customs over God's Word (Matt. 15:3; Mk. 7:6-13; Col. 2:8,23; Tit. 1:14; 2 Kgs. 17:7-23)? Have we merely added God’s name and instructions to our pagan attachments (Jer. 10:2; Deut. 12:29-31; 18:9; Lev. 18:26-30; etc.)? Is God just another deity among the ones we worship? Don’t we celebrate Easter (or Tammuz or Astarte) or Saturn (Mithras) on Christmas? Don't many of the Christian sects worship human saints and a human mother? Haven’t we changed a simple meal into a religious miracle? Haven’t we altered the Scriptures time and again to fit our theological needs? I have resembled these words too often in my life!
Maybe we need some man-eating lions in our midst? On second thought, that didn’t seem to work either. As soon as the danger passed, people went right back to their old ways. Maybe what we need is a radical change of heart – and a new quiver of arrows. Maybe we need a Priest to come and teach us God's ways (Heb. 4:14-16; Lev. 10:10).
Passover's coming! It's time to leave the religious bondage we've created and follow the unchanging Word of God. Just a thought to consider :-)
Happy 3rd day of the week!
Shalom
If yesterday's study was an enigma to you, let's unwind the enigma in our minds and return back to our story in 2 Kings 17...
"They feared the Lord/et YHVH hayoo yere’eem (in other words, they became afraid) and served their own gods according to the custom of the nations from among whom they had been carried away into exile. To this day, they do according to their earlier customs: they do not fear the Lord/eynam yere’eem et YHWH... (2 Kgs. 17:33,34)
After all they learned, after the 'lions' mouths had been shut, how could they fear the Lord and yet continue to serve their own gods? How could they go back to not fearing the Lord? How can people who truly fear the Lord practice the kind of fertility cult behaviors described in this section (like burning children alive (2 Kgs. 17:17))? How can the text tell us that these people “feared” the Lord and then turn right around and tell us they didn’t fear Him? Enquiring minds want to know.
They became emotionally fearful of the Lord. In other words, they were scared of what the Lord/YHVH might do, but that didn’t stop them from worshipping the fertility gods (Passover's coming...not Easter). They had an emotional reaction of fear, not a reverential and obedient reaction of awe and respect. They simply accommodated YHVH/the Lord into their current pagan practices as one more god to be appeased. Ugh!
Then, in verse 34 we have a behavioral, not emotional description of their fear. It's a statement about disobedience and a blatant disregard for the statutes, ordinances and commandments of Torah. Double Ugh!
Clear as muddy water, right? Go back and look at the two verses again...Did you notice the two different descriptions of the word for fear/yare’. That might satisfy the scholarly side, but is that the end of our study...intelect?
Remember that a priest from exiled Israel is sent to instruct these people in the ways of God (2 Kgs. 17:28). They are in trouble. Lions are eating people (2 Kgs. 17:25). They want the danger to pass. But after the priest gives them an archery demonstration and lessons, they simply incorporate what he teaches into their current practices. They might shake a little over this new god that they've been introduced to, but they aren’t willing to follow Him exclusively. They just add Him to the pack. As the text says, “To this day they do according to their customs." Passover's coming!
What about us? To this day, are we still doing according to our customs over God's Word (Matt. 15:3; Mk. 7:6-13; Col. 2:8,23; Tit. 1:14; 2 Kgs. 17:7-23)? Have we merely added God’s name and instructions to our pagan attachments (Jer. 10:2; Deut. 12:29-31; 18:9; Lev. 18:26-30; etc.)? Is God just another deity among the ones we worship? Don’t we celebrate Easter (or Tammuz or Astarte) or Saturn (Mithras) on Christmas? Don't many of the Christian sects worship human saints and a human mother? Haven’t we changed a simple meal into a religious miracle? Haven’t we altered the Scriptures time and again to fit our theological needs? I have resembled these words too often in my life!
Maybe we need some man-eating lions in our midst? On second thought, that didn’t seem to work either. As soon as the danger passed, people went right back to their old ways. Maybe what we need is a radical change of heart – and a new quiver of arrows. Maybe we need a Priest to come and teach us God's ways (Heb. 4:14-16; Lev. 10:10).
Passover's coming! It's time to leave the religious bondage we've created and follow the unchanging Word of God. Just a thought to consider :-)
Happy 3rd day of the week!
Shalom
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