2.6.26 – Voices

In yesterday's study, we got pretty "physics-ical." Today, let us unveil a more practical Mount Sinai truth :-)

In the book of Acts, we read about the signs and wonders God poured out on the apostles and all who were with them. After Yeshua's ascension (Acts 1:9), tongues of fire appeared on their heads (the inquiring mind's question: whose heads?), a mighty wind came from heaven, and they received the ability to speak in languages they had never learned (Acts 2:1–4). If you grew up Pentecostal or know someone who is, there is a large emphasis on these signs of speaking in tongues (glossa), which for many marks the separation between the Old Testament and the new era of Christianity. That event, according to many, marked the beginning of the church as well. But these signs were not something new; they are actually something ancient. These signs of wonder, already associated with God's people, only served to strengthen the apostles' connection to the validity of their Hebrew faith. What if they saw them as signs linking this event back to the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai? Inquiring minds want to know :-)

Most of us are familiar with what took place in Acts chapter 2. After Yeshua's resurrection, He instructed His disciples to remain in Jerusalem so they would be filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4–8):

"When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance."
(Acts 2:1–4; see also Luke 4:42–43; Matt. 4:17; Acts 8:12)

What does this event that happened during the lives of the apostles have to do with our current Torah portion? The portion, Yitro (Jethro), records for us the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai—particularly the Big Ten (Aseret HaDevarim):

"And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off."
(Ex. 20:18)

This passage has a problem, as we noted yesterday. Fortunately, so we do not look like someone who has completely lost our marbles, almost every commentator states that the people saw the thunder (qol) and the flashes of lightning. While it is normal to hear thunder, it is not normal to see thunder. And to compound the problem even further, the Hebrew does not use the normal word for thunder. Instead, it uses the word qol ("thunderings"), which means "the voices." Hmmm, very interesting, Professor Dumpling :-). Literally, the people saw the voices. And what voices are we talking about? Inquiring minds want to know :-)

Well, the voice of God came from the top of the fiery mountain (Deut. 5:23–24). Traditionally, this voice went to all the nations, in all the known languages of the world. The voice would go out and divide into seventy voices (qol)—for the seventy languages—so that all the nations would hear. If we put a timetable on this event, from Firstfruits (leaving Egypt) to now, it is fifty days, and we have arrived at Shavuot, also known as Pentecost. God gave His Torah at Pentecost, and His voice (qol) went forth to all the known languages of the world to proclaim His kingship on earth.

Essentially, this is what happened in the book of Acts as well. The apostles would have associated this experience with the original Shavuot/Pentecost, confirming that God was doing something related to that first event when all of Israel had gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate Shavuot (Acts 2 & 3). God once again revealed Himself in a powerful way. This time, however, it was in a way that transformed the hearts of Yeshua's disciples and enabled them to live out the Torah from the inside out. The Spirit began the work of renewing their hearts in fulfillment of the prophecies of both Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 36, giving them supernatural strength to share the good news of the kingdom with those who were celebrating Pentecost in Jerusalem. At Sinai, the voice came from God. Here in the book of Acts, it came from the mouths of the children of Israel.

Over the last 2,000 years, when most people speak of Pentecost, the focus is on the gift of speaking in a language they have not learned. For the apostles, however, the experience was completely about transmitting Yeshua's kingdom message to people that they would otherwise be unable to communicate with. Hence, what good is a gift if it is never used for its purpose? The apostles realized that their experience was for a higher purpose and utilized it to accomplish the will of God and bring untold thousands to the kingdom.

We have all had spiritual experiences that have transformed us in some manner. My question for us on this preparation day is: how can you better use God's voice to reach more people for His glory?

Happy Preparation Day!

Shalom,
Alan

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

4.4.26 ~ Can You Count to Three?

Image
Today, Saturday 4/4/26, many will celebrate the day that Yeshua was visibly seen risen from the grave (John 20:1; Matt. 28:1–10; Luke 24:1–10)! The day after His resurrection, Yeshua would be out ministering to the doubts of His disciples, helping them realize that He is alive and that the purpose of His resurrection would be catalyzed by their lives. For the disciples closest to Yeshua and those who stood at a safe distance away, it was a time of doubt. The enemy was in hot pursuit. They were fearful for their lives, but just at the God-appointed time, their salvation appeared.  Does that sound vaguely familiar? It should. Earlier this week, on the day after Passover—the 15th of the first month—the natural-born Israelites and those who joined them through the blood of the Lamb exited Egypt and headed toward the sea. In just a few days, during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Pharaoh would not be happy that he let the Israelites go; he felt betrayed, and he was hot (Ex. 14:5–9). Mose...
Read more

3.20.25

Good morning! Yesterday, we learned some essential truths about how to 'be still and know that He is God (Psa. 46:10). Today, I want to ask you a different question based on life's ability to throw a wide variety of circumstances at us!  One of the most difficult situations is when we are threatened by someone or some circumstance. Have you ever been threatened?  Oh, maybe no one came up to you with a gun, or shouted at you with malice, or told you that you were going to be tortured or punished.  Maybe all the threat you ever had was the innuendo of rejection, or the social snub or something much less violent than jail time.  But my guess is that if you are traveling the road with Yeshua, living a Torah lifestyle, you know what it means to be threatened. Every time the circumstances of your life look as though they are about to cave in, you are threatened.  It might not be a threat from a physical enemy, then again...but we all know that in one form or another t...
Read more

3.22.25

Good morning! Shabbat shalom! Although the portion of Vayakhel/and he assembled is almost entirely focused on the construction of the tabernacle, it begins by reminding the children of Israel that no work may be done on the Sabbath (Ex. 35:2,3). Why does it begin here rather than jumping right into how to construct the Tabernacle? Enquiring minds want to know :-) By placing the topic of the Sabbath against the construction of the Tabernacle it's God's way of defining the boundaries of the Sabbath...that even the most intimate work for the Lord needs to be put aside for His 'Date Day'. However, upon further investigation, there’s another layer to understand that connects us back to the golden calf (Ex. 32). As we know, while Moses was up on the mount getting the instructions from God the children of Israel decided to make an object that would replace Moses, their deliverer; The object, later known as the golden calf, originally intended as a 'necessary' means to ...
Read more