3 19 26 – Facing Our Past: Mrs Lot

"I know the plans (mahashava) I have (kashab) for you..."

(Jer. 29:11)

This word is really not "have." We translate it this way because it makes sense in English, but in Hebrew the verse really says, "I know the plans that I plan for you" or "I know the purposes that I purpose for you."

If you are like me, we just read it over and forget to pay attention to nouns and verbs. Huh? Do you ever wonder what God's plans are for your future? The word for "plans" that we looked at is really used twice—first as a noun and then as a verb. In the second case, the verb has a slightly different sense. The noun is mahashava ("new ideas"). The verb is kashab ("make plans," "reckon," "account," or "think"). Perhaps there is more to this verse than simply that Yahweh has purposes for our lives. That sense of the verb is certainly in His purpose for each of us. In fact, without that sense of the verse, none of Yahweh's plans will ever meet His purpose.

Jeremiah goes on to say that the plans that Yahweh plans for us are for our good—which is His good (Rom. 8:28–29)—to prosper us and not to harm us (Jer. 29:11).

You will recognize the Hebrew word for "prosper"—shalom. Are you surprised by that word being used to mean "prosper"? It primarily means "peace." But it also has the meanings "perfect, whole, complete, prosperity, well, health, and safety." It is far more than just the absence of conflict and strife. It encompasses the entire range of well-being. Therefore, it includes spiritual and physical completeness, harmony, and fulfillment. But shalom comes from a Hebrew culture, not a Greek culture—like much of my thinking. The word is couched in relationship, not possessions. Ultimately, shalom is about our relationship to the One who can provide all of the other aspects of completeness. Without the primary relationship as the fundamental purpose of life, all of the other aspects of living are unsteady. They will lack a solid foundation. In this verse, the active agent is Yahweh Himself. We do not find prosperity, peace, and wholeness on our own. Yahweh's direct activity in our lives is the basis of shalom. The intention of God's purposes for us is shalom.

Are you starting to get the picture that the plans Yahweh has for us are for our good and not to harm us?

Literally, the phrase "not for evil" should say "and not for evil." First, it means that Yahweh's new ideas for you are for your good. His purposes are to bring you shalom, not evil. He is not a vengeful or malicious Elohim. He is the Elohim of holy grace, compassion, and care. He has no plan to do you evil. In fact, His plan is just the opposite.

The word for "evil" is ra. The root behind ra is a noun that means "rotten, spoiled, or good for nothing"—like salt being trodden underfoot. It is most often used in conjunction with the word tov ("good"). The first instance of this word is in the Garden of Eden in the expression "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" (Gen. 2:9, 17). The Bible recognizes that men often have varying ideas about what is evil. We acknowledge this fact about cultural differences every day. Sometimes it surprises us when we see what other cultures consider morally correct or culturally acceptable.

However, even though the Bible recognizes this fact, the final verdict on good and evil is always in Yahweh's hands. Since He is the Judge of the world, His determination about what is evil is the last word on the subject. If He says that some act or event is evil, there is no negotiation on the matter. The essence of evil is disobedience to His will. It is progressive. Evil begins with a lack of acknowledgment—we do not recognize Yahweh as God; we refuse to give Him honor as the Creator. From this lack of acknowledgment, we proceed to an attitude of ingratitude. We are not thankful for what He has done. Refusal and ingratitude become ingrained as habit, then compulsion. The result is that we do injury to others and to ourselves.

In this verse, Yahweh tells us not only that He has no plans to harm us, but that His plans and purposes will keep us from self-inflicted harm. Yahweh's plan is for harmony, unity, peace, and life. Ignoring His plans for us will lead to strife, hostility, injury, and death. Yiker-doodles.

"The plans He plans for you... are to give you a future and a hope."
(Jer. 29:11)

The last part of the verse reiterates the intention of Yahweh's plans. Yahweh has two goals in mind. The first is "a future" (aharit); it literally means "afterward, backwards, or after part." Huh? So how can it be about the future? This Hebrew concept of time is like a man rowing a boat. He sees where he has been, but the future is toward his back. He backs into the future. It is entirely unknown to him because it is behind him! He is walking according to the Word, by faith, and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7).

This picture has some very powerful theology in it. First, Yahweh must set our course since only He can see "behind" us. But secondly, we have as our guide what we see—the course we have been following. We see the past because we are facing it. The past is in "front" of us. No wonder our history with Yahweh is so important. It is not just about where we came from. It is the visible guide for our course into the future. Finally, there is a great connection with the idea that we must trust Yahweh's direction and not fear. If we are "backing" into the future, we must trust the Guide. We cannot see where we are going, but He can, and the revelation in His Word from Moses and the Prophets are our guides—just as they were for Yeshua and His disciples.

There is a tremendous example of this word in a story from Genesis. When Lot and his wife fled from the destruction of Sodom, they were told not to look back. Lot's wife did look back, and she saw her future: a pillar of salt. Looking back was a choice not to obey the Guide who was taking her out of harm's way. But why did she turn back? Why did she turn into a pillar of salt and not dust?

So much of our lives seems to be consumed with plans for our future. We all want to "look ahead" as though we will be able to guide and protect ourselves from what may come. But Yahweh says that the real direction of our life should be to the past. The course of our life was set in the past. The victory over the future happened in the past. It is our history with Yahweh that gives us peace and confidence.

God has plans that He is planning for you. Plans that are good and not evil, so that you may have hope (tikvah) and an expected end (aharit). The challenge that we all face is wanting to pursue what we think is best versus what God's plans are planning.

More on Mrs Lot tomorrow :-)

Shalom,
Alan