A deliverance greater than Purim!March 9th, 2009 Purim is one of the happiest holidays in the Jewish calendar for it commemorates a mighty deliverance for the ancient Jewish people. The biblical book of Esther recounts the story and the origins of the celebration. The historical setting is 473 B.C.E., near the end of the 70 years of Babylonian exile, when many Jews were living in exile in Persia. Powerful King Ahasuerus had a right hand man named Haman who hated Jews and longed to see them exterminated. His implacable hatred of all Jews was conceived in his utter disregard for one Jewish man – Mordecai. Determined to rid himself of Mordecai, and every other Jew in the empire, Haman devised a scheme to enlist the support of the King himself. In chilling words, all too familiar to the Jewish community, Haman prevailed upon the King with these words:
King Ahasuerus gave Haman permission to carry out his evil plot, even providing his signet ring to Haman, ensuring that the Persian people understood the King was in full agreement with Haman’s plan. The biblical text identifies Haman as the “son of Hammedatha the Agagite” (Esther 3:1 The Stone Edition Tanach, Artscroll Series). Students of the Bible will recognize “Agagite” as hearkening back to the days of King Saul. During Saul’s reign in Israel, God had commanded him to utterly destroy King Agag and the Amalekite people. Saul failed in that responsibility, a failure that cost him and his descendents the throne of Israel. We should not miss the fact that Haman’s presence is a direct consequence of Saul’s failure to carry out God’s directive concerning the Amalekites. Haman was a descendant of Agag. Had Saul been obedient, there would have been no descendants of Agag to pose this threat to the Jews. The biblical book of Esther tells the story of God’s (though he is never mentioned once in the text) sovereign control of history. By providentially bringing Esther, a beautiful Jewish woman, into the Persian King’s household as his queen, God ensured that Haman’s plot would fail. I encourage you to get a Bible and read the story for yourself. Haman’s evil plot failed, God preserved his covenant people, and Mordecai proclaimed an annual celebration whereby Jewish people would remember their mighty deliverance from annihilation.
As history readily shows, the dramatic deliverance in ancient Persia, was just one of many divine interventions, ensuring the survival of the Jewish people. The survival of the Jewish people, along with the presence of the modern state of Israel, is a testimony to God’s faithfulness. Millennia ago, he declared through the prophet Jeremiah:
As long as creation stands, the King of the Universe will ensure the survival of the Israelite people. Jewish people have faced many enemies throughout their long history, and from them all God has given faithful deliverance. I believe God’s promise to preserve the Jewish people is a promise for this life. However, there is an afterlife, an eternity where every man, woman, boy and girl will dwell – either in the presence of God or in a place called Hell, forever separated from Almighty God. Yeshua (Jesus), God’s anointed Messiah, came to earth nearly 2000 years ago. Isaiah prophecied that Messiah would come to bear the sins of his people (Isaiah 53), and this is exactly what we see in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. He was the one that John the Baptizer said was “the Lamb of God” (John 1:36). As the Lamb of God, Jesus came to bear the sins of all who would believe in him. He is the perfect sacrifice – he is the only one who could identify with us and bear our sins before a just and holy God. Of him, the writer of Hebrews said:
How tragic then, if at the end of this life, the greatest deliverance God will ever provide should be missed. It is right and proper to celebrate Purim – it was a divine intervention of miraculous dimensions. It was the faithful arm of a promise-keeping God. But this same God has declared that salvation – deliverance from an eternal death – can only be found through faith in his Messiah – Yeshua. We read of Jesus in the New Covenant book of Galatians:
Contributed by David Daniels, former General Director of New Covenant Forum and Pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Richmond Hill. Posted in Jesus and Jews, Messiah in the Tanach | No Comments » Looking for MessiahMarch 6th, 2009 L’Chaim-Toronto is a free weekly publication available at many shops and businesses in the Jewish sections of Toronto. Published by the Lubavitch Youth Organization in Brooklyn, NY, the newsletter addresses items of interest to Jewish people. I often pick up the newsletter because it provides a window into the thinking of the Lubavitch branch of Judaism. The June 1, 2007 issue carried an article entitled “When Did That Happen?” addressing the importance of recognizing the arrival of the Messianic Era. After describing how many Jewish sages understood the arrival of Moshiach (Messiah), the article reminds readers of the teaching of the Lubavitcher Rebbe: “…the time of the Redemption has arrived, if we open our eyes we can see that the table is literally set for the Messianic banquet, all we need to do is greet Moshiach.” Though one would be hard-pressed to define a single view of Messiah within Judaism – some looking for a personal Messiah, others for a Messianic age, and still others for no Messiah at all – it is clear that within Lubavitch circles, there is an anticipation of a divine Messiah. For example, the author writes: “Since the creation of the world nearly 6,000 years ago, when the spirit of G-d hovered over the waters (and as the commentaries explain, the ‘spirit’ is that of Moshiach), we have been moving toward Moshiach and the Redemption” [emphasis mine]. I find it fascinating that this Lubavitcher writer understands this Biblical text as a reference to the Messiah! The text in question (Genesis 1:1-2) reads as follows in a popular Jewish translation: “In the beginning of God’s creating the heavens and the earth – when the earth was astonishingly empty, with darkness upon the surface of the deep, and the Divine Presence hovered upon the surface of the waters – …” Stone Edition, [emphasis mine] If the “spirit of G-d” or the “Divine Presence” mentioned in Genesis 1:2 is really the “‘spirit’ of Moshiach”, as the writer of the article contends, then we have an amazing declaration of the deity of Messiah. What is even more amazing is the fact that the Scriptures will show that this Messiah is none other than Jesus of Nazareth. While the Lubavitch community would refuse the messianic credentials of Jesus, the assertion that the “spirit of G-d” is the “‘spirit’ of Moshiach” can lead to no other conclusion. Numerous Biblical prophecies regarding the coming of Messiah were fulfilled in Jesus. The New Covenant Scriptures clearly connect Jesus with creation.
“The presence of Messiah Jesus so permeates the Bible (both the Hebrew & Greek Scriptures) that, without intending to do so, the writer of the L’Chaim article points directly to Jesus as the one who reveals God to us because he is God manifest in human flesh. The writer concludes with a call to live as one will live in the Messianic age – “performing additional acts of goodness and kindness; studying more Torah; experiencing Jewish living more fully; trying to see G-d’s hand everywhere.” My prayer is that those longing for the coming of Messiah will discover that He has already come to provide redemption through His death and resurrection, and that He is coming again to receive all who have placed their trust in Him.
Contributed by David Daniels, former General Director of New Covenant Forum and Pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Richmond Hill. Posted in Jesus and Jews, Messiah in the Tanach | No Comments » Doing what Christians doMarch 4th, 2009 I vividly recall a conversation I once had with a friend – a devoutly orthodox Jewish man. We were talking about my vocation as an evangelical Christian pastor, and in particular, about my desire to share the gospel of Jesus (Yeshua) with Jewish people. As we talked, he said:
In saying this, my friend was concuring with something the Apostle Peter wrote to first century Christians scattered throughout the ancient world of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia (1 Peter 1:1). To them he wrote:
As Christians we have been called to go into the entire world, seeking a hearing for the gospel. We have the words of Yeshua to that effect.
A few years ago a Lubavitch young man accused me of “targeting Jews” in my work at New Covenant Forum. I replied:
As implausible as it might sound right now, there is a day coming when thousands upon thousands of Jewish people will acknowledge Yeshua (Jesus of Nazareth) as their Messiah and Savior. Rabbi-turned-gospel-preacher, Paul, wrote to the ancient church at Rome about a coming time when many of his countrymen, Jewish men and women, would turn to Messiah in repentance and faith (See Romans 9,10,11). We work in anticipation of that coming day, and we look forward with eager anticipation for the time when the Apostle John’s vision becomes current reality.
My friend was right. I am simply doing what Christians do. I’d love to talk with you about that if you care to post a comment. Contributed by David Daniels, former General Director of New Covenant Forum and Pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Richmond Hill. Posted in Jesus and Jews | No Comments » Standing between Moses and JesusMarch 3rd, 2009 On a recent visit to Israel, I had the privilege of attending a week-night Bible study provided for the homeless and others afflicted with various addictions. As the meeting opened, the leader welcomed me and asked me to share a few words. Speaking through two interpreters – Hebrew and Russian – I shared my testimony of coming to faith in Jesus – of repenting of my sin and trusting in his atoning sacrifice as payment for my sin. I spoke of my desire to tell others of the forgiveness of sins available in Jesus. Without warning, a homeless woman in the group interrupted me. Speaking in flawless English, she said:
I responded by saying that if she truly followed Moses, she would eventually find Jesus, for Moses spoke of Jesus. Jesus said:
After a bit more conversation, I suggested the Bible study leader take over so that everyone present could better enter into the discussion about following Jesus. Since that evening in Israel, I’ve been reflecting on how Moses spoke of Jesus. We read in the gospel of Luke (New Testament Scriptures) about Yeshua (Jesus) encountering two men walking along the road to Emmaus. This was following his death, burial and resurrection. As Jesus approached the men, the Scriptures record that they were “kept from recognizing him” (Luke 24:16). He asked them what they were intently discussing and they related the events of the previous days – the arrest, trial and crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. This was the one who they had hoped was the Messiah, the one who would redeem Israel. But he had been put to death, and it seemed all hope was lost. Now, amazingly, the tomb of Yeshua (Jesus) had been found empty and that women had been told by angels that Yeshua was alive! As they continued walking, Yeshua responded:
I am convinced that a proper reading of the Tanach – the Hebrew Scriptures that Christians refer to as the Old Testament – leads directly to Yeshua. Isaiah spoke of him as the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53:1-12. Though many would have us believe that Jesus is for Gentiles, we are convinced that he is first of all for his own people – the people of Israel. Along with rabbi-turned-apostle, Saul of Tarsus, who was later named Paul, we are
We believe Jesus is for all who will acknowledge their sin and need of a Savior. It is this wonderful gospel of God’s grace that we want to share with all who are open to listening. We welcome your comment and response to our belief that salvation is found in Yeshua alone. *Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New International Version.Contributed by David Daniels, former General Director of New Covenant Forum and Pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Richmond Hill. Posted in Blog, Jesus and Jews, Messiah in the Tanach | No Comments » |
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