Hello Old Friend, part 5.

next in a series of [somewhat edited] letters sent to a friend, giving him an update on how life with the Hazys has changed 

Hey brother!

Here we go…let’s continue the “from there to here” conversation, this time regarding food.  To properly set up what I want to say, I’m gonna talk about war machines, the first BIG failure in my marriage, and then reference my bus-driving days…

While I was studying recently, I wound up coming back to one of the better kings of Judah (after the divided kingdoms).  Now I don’t want to say he was a “good” king; I’ll say he was one of the better kings, that he accomplished some good  stuff, and that he was successful as a king.  But he also made some crucial mistakes, and they came at a cost.  (I can sure relate to that)  In 2nd Kings 14-15, he was known as Azariah (“God has helped”); in 2nd Chronicles 26 - and a rather famous story in Isaiah 6 - he was known as Uzziah (“God is my strength”).  Same dude, though.

Anyway, God really did help out King Uzziah - seems like the king was given a certain kind of wisdom and insight that he put to use in his kingdom. He established a seaport town, built other cities, beefed up Judah’s military infrastructure and army, and also improved resources for herds & crops.  2nd Chr. 26:15 tells about war machines that were built for the defense of Jerusalem, which would shoot arrows and catapult stones at opposing forces…that’s pretty impressive.

The reason I bring this up is because of the action those machines were designed to perform.  The English word used in pretty much every translation is…[the machines were designed to]…”shoot”…  That word is a form of the Hebrew word יָרָה / yara.  In addition to communicating “shoot”, that same word (pronounced yaw-rah) is also translated “teach”.  Psalm 25:12 tells us that the Lord “teaches” those who fear him the right path to choose; Psalm 32:8 says pretty much the same thing.  These are two examples of how the Most High directs his people - he shows us the way, as if he were launching us at the target, the goal.

Want to know something interesting?  There’s a word that describes when you miss the target: חָטָא / chata.  (Judges 20:16 gives an example of this word - feel free to read the whole story if you want the account of one of the really dark chapters in Israel’s history)  That same word for “miss” is also used for “sin”, just like the Greek counterpart ἁμαρτάνω / hamartanó.  So, the concept of sin in the Bible is to miss what we’re aiming for.  But what is our target?

Well, in 1st John 3, the apostle defines sin as lawlessness.  As you know, John was Jewish, and it’s safe to assume that he would be thinking of Torah here, from the Old Testament, usually translated “Law”... but the word more properly means “instructions”.  So sin is not following the instructions we’ve been given - we missed what God was aiming us toward when he gave us the instructions.

Speaking of missing the instructions, I’ve got another story for you, about an early failure I committed in my marriage - a big one.

For the first few months of our marriage, Shannon and I lived with my mom.  We had only recently returned from overseas - we were back in the states less than a month when we got married - and the plans we made for our new life stateside had fallen through.  No jobs, not  a lot of money or resources, and no plan, either.  A bit of a stressful time, you might say.  We did have a (borrowed) car, a few hundred bucks, and typical wedding gifts - stuff like dishes / pots & pans / cups & silverware / towels & bedding (maybe bedding; can’t remember for sure) - and we had a church home, and a support network of friends & family.

…and a few job prospects.  Shannon reminded me last night that was probably what we were arguing about when it happened.

You see, even though were were older than the average newlyweds, we weren’t any more emotional prepared to shift from “me”-focused living to “we’re in this together”.  I don’t mean to say we weren’t born-again or didn’t love each other; it’s just that both of us were coming off about a decade of living on our own, making our own way, making all the decisions (usually unchecked and unchallenged), and it was a whole new ball game to negotiate every decision with someone else - even if she was the most amazing gift the Lord has ever given me.

So we were, um, negotiating what to do next, and I wasn’t doing very well.  I got my feelings hurt because Shannon didn’t see something the way I did, and I was getting angry.  I got more angry because of the way she was talking to me (her tone of voice, mostly, and probably her choice of words, too) - and suddenly in my mind the argument shifted from an issue to “the rules of engagement”.  So I rather foolishly decided to teach my wife a lesson.

I was going to show her how mean-spirited and disrespectful her behavior was; I would say exactly the same thing she just said, exactly the same was she said it.  I knew this was also mean (and petty, too), but I decided she needed to experience - to feel - what it was like to be on my side, and I was just the man to do it.

I took a breath, turned my head to face her, and then something rather unexpected happened.  Just as clearly as he had ever done anything in my life, the Lord - the Holy Spirit - spoke very clearly, very gently, very firmly to my spirit: he simply said, “no.”  He knew what I was intending to do, and then he

[instructed] and [taught me] in the way [I was] to go; [he gave me] counsel; [his] eyes will be watching [me].

Psalm 32:8

The Most High wanted to “shoot” me in a certain direction, to “teach” me not to respond in ugliness and anger…and I missed the mark.

I chose to not follow the Lord’s direction, and to instead execute my own plan.  I did say what Shannon said, the way she said it, right back to her.  Her look changed form anger to hurt, and she burst into tears in response to my childish, mean, foolish behavior.  In my pride and anger, I decided to ignore God’s instruction to me, and that wounded my bride (and our relationship) in a way that took a looooong time to fully recover from.  I can’t think of a better example in my life of choosing to ignore clear instruction, and seeing the damage that comes afterward.

Reaching back to the “bus driver” story from my last latter, sometimes we “miss the target” that God has for us because we may not be aware of his instruction; instead we’re focused on what we want to do.  “…how about here, Lord?…how about this…can I go this far, do this thing?…we’re still OK, right?”

Other times we know - we’ve received instructions and we understand the direction he wants us to go with our thoughts, our words, our actions - our lives - and we just don’t want to do it his way.  Both ways - either by willful ignorance or willful choice - we miss the mark;  we chata…we sin.

…and now I’ll explain my position on the food issue.

Throughout Scripture, God is laying out a concept for us to embrace: he wants us to be a different kind of people.  He wants us to “come out” of the world, to “come away” and live with him - set apart from what everyone else pursues and what they value.  He wants us to be holy, set apart, different.  (Even the name “Hebrew” carries that implication: it means something like “cross over”)

Here’s the thing: holiness is not some loose concept of taking the moral high ground, or pure motives, or noble self-sacrifice.  These things may be involved here, but that’s not the whole picture.  In the Apostle Peter’s letter to the believers scattered across the nations, he said that they (we!) should be holy, because God is holy.  Peter is not merely encouraging a better, God-focused attitude and character… he’s quoting.

Most translations will say “it is written” there in 1 Peter 1:16.  A few might say something like “the Scriptures say”.  Either way, this is a reference to what we know as the Old Testament.  The concept of “being holy” or “set apart” or “separated” or “consecrated” is a theme that certainly runs throughout the whole Bible, but there are three instances in Leviticus with the same wording Peter used, and a fourth time (in the same chapter as reference no. 3) that the wording mostly matches.  There’s also a fifth time that is also a pretty close match.  Here they are:

Reference Topic

Leviticus 11:44 Food - animals we should.should not eat

Lev.19:2         how we act towards people and towards God

Lev. 20:7          consequences for rejecting God’s instructions

Lev. 20:26 clean / unclean animals again

Lev. 21:8         consecrating the priest(s)

As you know, there wasn’t a published Bible at the time of Peter’s letter.  Scripture had not yet divided into the Old and New Testament(s), and there were no chapter-and-verse designations, either.  So when Yeshua and his followers wanted to communicate references to Scripture, they would quote either the first few words or the summary or the well-known phrase …like “Sh’ma [Israel], Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Ehad” - listeners in Peter’s day who knew Scripture would recognize that as a quote from what you and I know as Deuteronomy 6, and they would also know what came next - making our committed love to God the great priority in our life, teaching that same way of life to our kids, and displaying and demonstrating that all the time, in every context we’re living, keeping God and his instructions in focus as we live.

…anyway, that same concept is on display in 1st Peter as he encourages the followers of Yeshua Messiah to be different, to be set apart from the culture(s) in which they live.  Let’s not forget, as he’s communicating this concept, he does so by quoting.  In verse 15, he encourages them to not return to a sinful (that is, a “not following the instruction”) way of living that they used to do before they became followers of the Way.  In verse 15, Peter continues the thought, reminding the students to follow their rabbi’s example.  (Remember, Yeshua Messiah is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and that means he’s still a rabbi who expects his students to follow his teachings and his way of living.)

…and then in verse 16 Peter quotes Torah - which is Scripture, the recognized revealed Words of God they would be familiar with.  His quote would remind them of specific examples of how to be set-apart from a culture that went all kinds of directions away from the One True God.  Peter was calling them to action (v.13), to follow their leader who followed his Father’s instructions on how to be a set-apart people, no matter where they lived or who they lived among.

• eat differently.     Lev. 11:44 and 20:26
• treat people and God differently.     Lev. 19:2
• understand that not being different, not following the instructions - that will have consequences.       Lev. 20:7
• there’s even a specific way to set apart the set-apart priests.      Lev. 21:8

So, to sum up my position on the food thing...

• Since the beginning - and I’m talking about the early chapters of Genesis here - God established there were things that are “ok” to eat, and things that are not “ok” to eat.
• He does have reasons for the instructions he gives.  Sometimes he shares those reasons, and sometimes he doesn’t.  The reasons are not really the point; living life according to his instructions is the more important thing.
• When we get touchy or stressed or hung up on the “whys” and “wherefores” of the instructions, that reveals at least two things about us:
• we’re more oriented toward what we can get away with then being as close to Him as possible
• we’re evaluating whether or not to follow his instructions on if we agree with his reasoning behind those instructions
• He told his people very plainly what they could and could not eat; was was and was not to be considered food.  He also said, while giving the “how to be set apart people” instructions, that there was one set of instructions for all who wanted to be His set-apart people, whether they (or we) are descendants of Jacob or not.
• Jesus / Yeshua himself said plainly and explicitly that He has not invalidating or changing these instructions in the smallest way.
• Peter wrote to a group of believers living as “strangers” in “foreign cultures” that they are supposed to be called out from the rest of the world, separate in their behavior, following the example and teaching of their Rabbi, who plainly said that he’s still keeping the instructions as given.
• Peter specifically quoted two passages that plainly list what is and is not food, what we are and are not supposed to eat.

Now, to be sure, there are lots and lots of folks who disagree with me on this.  I bet it would be hard to find a Christian you know who thinks it’s disobedient to eat catfish or shrimp or bacon or a whole bunch of other things on the “not food, don’t eat” list.  But you won’t find a place in the Bible what says it’s OK to eat what the Father and His Son say is off limits.  And anyone who does quote Bible verses to support not living according to the instructions…well, either they don’t understand the context/meaning of those passages…or they’re manipulating the Bible to support what they want to do.

In regard to the food thing, as with all areas of my life, I’m trying to let God’s instructions direct hr course of my life, and I’ll do my best to hit the mark he sets for me…instead of going my own way or seeing what I can “get away with”.  (Again, Psalm 32:8 is helpful here)  As time goes on I’m trying to come back from “the edge of the stage”, so to speak, and get as close as I can to the center of it all.

There are things I used to eat and really enjoy…before I started eating according to his instructions.  But I’ve got to be honest with you, buddy: I don’t miss eating things that are “off the menu”.  And I’m not living this way to check a box or prove my goodness or anything of the sort.  I’m doing it because I love my Daddy, and I want to live my life in ways that delight him.

There’s more to say on this subject - there always is with this stuff - but I think this gives you a decent picture of where I stand, how I got here, and what the motivating factor is at the bottom of it all.

I love you, buddy.  Please pray for me, that I’ll continue to live well before our Father - not just in action, but in attitude, too.  I’ll do the same for you!

Hello Old Friend, part 4.

  next in a series of [somewhat edited] letters sent to a friend, giving him an update on how life with the Hazys has changed 

Hey brother!  I trust that life is going well for you, and that our Father’s peace and presence is making up for any challenges you’re facing these days.  It’s been a challenging month for our family (as you know), dealing with the sudden loss of “our” dad, and the hole in our life that loss created.  To say life has changed is a bit of an understatement.

Speaking of that, I want to share a story with you about a major life change that I experienced at a church camp, probably…25 years ago, and how my life (and other lives, too) is (are) still being impacted that that change today.  Now you might be thinking something like, “Yeah, yeah, I get it: teenagers make all kinds of silly camp commitments; that’s nothing new.”  But I wasn’t a teenager, and technically I wasn’t a camper, either; I was the bus driver.

This happened during my first run at [the church we just left], well before you knew me.  It was before I had kids, before I had even met Shannon, and before I had been overseas.  Before the current pastor held that position, and maybe before the church had relocated to the location that you’re familiar with (can’t remember that part for sure)… At that point in my life, I was recently broken and humbled, looking for some direction from the Lord.  I wanted to learn, serve, and put in some work on character development that would represent our Father well - instead of embarrassing myself and leaving a bad taste in peoples’ mouthes over another believer who wasn’t very good at living what they believed.

…and the church needed a bus driver to help in taking the teenagers to camp - a Student Life thing in…Arkansas, if I remember correctly.  I had been friends with the youth minister for years, and I wasn’t sure if I was helping him out or he was helping me - probably a bit of both.  Either way, there I was, wanting to help, wanting to hear from God, willing to change however I needed to in order to become His man.

During one of the worship services, the speaker painted a rather vivid picture that has really stuck with me over the years.  Using the elevated stage/platform he was speaking from as a boundary, he established something else - maybe the podium? - as a focal point, and then said something like, “Let’s imagine this place right here is where we’re supposed to be.  It’s like home base.  If you’re here, you’re 100% with God.  The trouble starts…” (he steps away from *home base*) “…when we begin to focus on other things and move toward them…” (stares across the room at *something else* and takes another step or two) “…and move away from where we’re supposed to be.  We even ask God things like Am I still ok?  Are we still good, Lord?“ (as he steps to the very edge of the stage, leaning *away* as he reaches out for something while looking back and asking) “…is this still ok?  Can I go this far?”  His point was to show that folks who call themselves believers or born-again or Christians, etc… may or may not actually be God’s people, but either way they have the wrong focus or are asking the wrong kind of questions, which is something like “…what can I still do?” or “…how far can I go?” or “…what can I get away with?” and still not get into trouble with you, Lord?

That’s the wrong perspective, the wrong focus.  Doing my thing, living my life, building my brand, chasing my dream, while checking in with God along the way and saying Are we all good?  Have I gone too far yet?  A life lived that way reveals a heart that is oriented on moving away from home base, and is sad or hurt or disappointed or frustrated or bitter or…whatever when its wandering away is limited or challenged.

This concept has really come into focus as we’ve parented our kids - especially in the toddler/early childhood phase.  They want what they want, and a problem is whatever keeps them from getting that.  Any limits or reminders or redirections are resisted, and they don’t usually see that our house rules, our way of doing things are for their benefit, to keep ‘em safe and to keep them on the right track toward becoming the kind of grownups they’re supposed to be.

Back to that broken-bus-driver-at-camp memory...  I don’t recall if I made some significant commitment or even verbalized a prayer.  But since that day, I can’t even put a number on the times the Lord has brought me back to that moment and reminded me that I should orient my focus, my energy, my heart on making him the center of my life instead of chasing other pursuits, other dreams, other loves…and then asking something life “…am I in trouble yet?…have I gone too far yet?”  I think this concept is a possible application of Proverbs 17:24 - what do you think?

One last thought, and then I’ll connect this to my journey from “there to here” and offer a few thoughts on set apart times…

I remember a memorable scene from a firefighter movie I watched years ago.  The deputy fire chief, struggling to explain the character of the men he worked with, said

People are always asking me How is it that firefighters run into a burning building when everyone else is running out? …courage is the answer.

There is something qualitatively different about firefighters, about police, about EMTs, about soldiers (and others, too) that sets them apart from the crowd.  It’s in their bones, really.  Training and experience hones their ability, but it’s their heart that separates them from the rest.

I think it’s supposed to work much the same way with all of us who belong to the Most High.  A qualitative change of heart happens to all who are truly born again, who didn’t just get an invitation to the Master’s wedding, but showed they belonged there by the change in their heart(s) which resulted a change in their behavior (“many are called, few are chosen”)  Scripture tells us that the Spirit of God that raises us from death to life enables us to live according to his instructions, for the greatness & glory of His reputation in the earth.  Because of a different, reborn, God-powered heart that’s in us, we are predisposed to move toward him even as the rest of the world moves in the wrong direction, away from him - and this sometimes includes those who might talk a good game and even look like they belong to the Lord.

It’s this concept of moving toward our Father that has given me something like a litmus test over the years in the outworking of my faith: If I need to make some kind of decision, which option/choice would move me closer to my Father?  Which one would line up more closely with the instructions he’s given?  Which is the best way to pursue the things he chases after and best represents his character?

Let me try to explain my thoughts on God’s appointed times and connect them to this concept of moving toward him, even if others around me might be oriented in other directions...

In the last letter I brought up the concept of God’s immutability, and offered Hebrews 13:8 and Malachi 3:6 as places in Scripture where this is mentioned.  In my journey towards becoming more Biblical in my “living”, this does include being Torah observant, because the Torah is in the Bible.  And since I believe there is One God (the same God) telling one story (the same story) - and since I believe what Scripture tells us when it says He does not change…well, I had to re-evaluate what I thought about a number of things.

A few years ago, I realized (or, more likely, the Holy Spirit showed me) that my tendency when reading God’s instructions on how to live a “set apart” life was to think/say something like…oh, that was for them, not for me; that’s all been done away with now.  Which is, in effect, the same as moving as far to the edge of that stage as possible, moving away from the center instead of orienting my faith toward my Father and the instructions he gives.

It’s also insulting to God to think that his instructions don’t apply to me.  The one who said “keep the instructions forever” surely understands what forever means.  The one who said “I don’t change” wouldn’t change, right?  Or, his Son, the living embodiment of God himself who showed us how to follow these instructions - when he taught us how to work out those instructions and he said I’m not throwing them away - the world itself will end before these change in even the smallest way - surely the Son of God, the Savior of the World, the King of all Creation was (is!) smart enough to announce changes he was making, right?  And if those changes were coming - say, after Yeshua’s resurrection and ascension - why wouldn’t they mention it?  Even more, why would they go the opposite way in their instruction?

The most reasonable answer, which maintains the immutability, wisdom, and kindness (as in “not misleading” or “not fickle/capricious”) of our Father and His Son is…nothing changed.  To read a tension between the Old and New testaments that doesn’t really exist, and to imply something about God’s instructions, communication, and perhaps even his character and/or intelligence….is, I would think, a bad idea.  I believe Peter cautions against this sort of thing at the end of his second letter.

OK, that’s a lot of setup for why I and my crew observe the appointed times.  To summarize: because he told us to, and because I want to live in a way that moves toward Him, not away from who he is and how he wants things done.  The way I see it, there are at least three options for how to deal with the appointed times:

• We (non-Jewish) believers don’t have to observe them to be “right” in our faith practice.  (You are probably already aware of reasons why people hold this position, and I gave at least two examples of how I used to believe)…so it we aren’t required to observe the appointed times, and we Hazys do it anyway because we love our father and want to join him in celebrating things that make him happy…

I mean, what’s wrong with that?  A person wouldn’t condemn their neighbor for attending & celebrating their relatives’ anniversary or family reunion, would they?

• Second option: observing the appointed times is a thing all of God’s people - not just Jews - are supposed to do. (Full disclosure: this is my position)  If this is the case…well, a lot of people are getting it wrong.  But just like everything else about growing our faith, we don’t have to be 100% correct on 100% of all the things 100% of the time. (There’s more to say about this, but that’s getting off topic)

The point is we should be moving toward the center of the faith we profess, rather than seeing how far we can go and still be “OK”.  Yochanan the Immerser (John the Baptist) captured this concept nicely, saying “He must become more important, while I become less important.” (John 3:30)

• It’s certainly possible that the Bible teaches us about the appointed times differently than either option I mentioned.  Let’s call this one “something else”.  I don’t know what that would be, but I’m happy to admit I haven’t figured everything out and don’t have all the answers.

With that said, I’ll restate that disclaimer just a bit as I tell you how we approach observing the moedim/appointed times…

First, these things are not all feasts.  One is actually a fast, which is in my understanding the opposite of a feast.  Next, one of these moedim is the sabbath, which I think we’ve covered pretty well, so no need to elaborate on that further.  Last thought on this disclaimer portion: I don’t think the Hazys have the definite, complete, or final answer on this (or any) topic.  We know more about this stuff than we used to, and if you check in with me two, three, or ten years from now, I’ll probably have more to tay on this topic, and may have adjusted the living out of my faith even further.  I’m doing my best to follow my father’s instructions, and to live according to the “house rules”…

Now the moedim are discussed or referenced in quite a few placed in Scripture, but you can see them all listed in Leviticus 23.  There are three categories:

Weekly

Sabbath.  On the seventh day/Saturday.  Our weekly purposeful rest.  Like I said, we’ve already covered this one.

Spring Feasts Moedim

- Passover (these three overlap) 

- Unleavened Bread (these three overlap)

- First fruits (these three overlap)

Weeks

Fall Feasts Moedim

Trumpets

Day of Atonement not a feast

Tabernacles

OK, I just rolled my eyes and couldn’t help but smile and shake my head - I got all the way to writing “Trumpets” before I realized that I used the word “Feasts” twice.  lol, still learning; haven’t got it all squared away just yet.

So…how do we observe these set-apart, appointed times?  We do our best to follow the guidelines laid out in Scripture, but sometimes we have to adjust/make substitutions.  We don’t have flocks, herds, or (very significant) crops, so we may go grocery shopping instead.  There is not an active priesthood or a temple/tabernacle, so no sacrifices.  We don’t know anyone from the Tribe of Levi around here, so instead we try to set aside & share special portions with whomever the Lord leads us to bless and fellowship with.  We like family camping, so that one’s easy.

Basically, we do the best we can to follow our Father’s instructions for these moedim in our context, and we carry the perspective that he’s our father: He’s not looking to punish or condemn us for being as obedient as we can.  Good dads don’t come down on their kids for trying and still making mistakes; they give the kid a break and help ‘em out.  That’s what grace is about.

I don’t know if I’ve talked to you about the Biblical concept of grace, but even if I have it bears repeating.  The Hebrew word חֵסֵד/chesed is usually translated as mercy or loving-kindness or steadfast love or sometimes loyalty.  I read somewhere that the nearest Greek (New Testament)  equivalent to this word is χάρις/charis, which is usually translated “grace”.

…have you ever heard of Hasidic Jews?  That comes from the same work: it means loyal or devoted.  This Biblical concept of chesed/mercy/grace doesn’t really have a precise English equivalent, but it means to be committed, to act in someone’s interest in a personal, loving, hands-on kind of way.  Like a dad who loves his kids and takes it easy on them as they’re doing their best to please him - even if they mess up along the way.

That, my friend, is the God of the Bible, and he’s the same from cover to cover (and beyond), and he didn’t change between Malachi and Matthew.  It kind of goes without saying, but I’ll tie this conclusion back to my story: our Father takes it easy on his kids who are doing their best to please him, and he knows the difference when they’re trying to get over on him or get away with doing what they want while saying “I love you Daddy.”

So we do the best we can to observe the moedim as instructed, and we figure that God will be happy that we’re trying to do it his way, and that he’ll help us to make any adjustments that are needed along the way.

One last thing: I think it’s pretty amazing that the Spring Moedim call back to and celebrate the first coming and saving work of Yeshua Messiah, and the Fall Moedim anticipate and celebrate his return and reign on earth as it is in heaven.  What a day that will be.

Well, as always, there’s more to say…but 10 pages on a couple of stories and the set-apart times is probably enough for this go-round. 

I love you, brother - catch up to you soon…