1000 Verses – a project of Judaism Resources

The Wisdom that is Present Wherever You Look
The word “Jew” is a derivative of the Hebrew “Yehuda.” The name “Yehuda” means thanks and acknowledgment (Genesis 29:25), and the calling of the Jew is to praise and acknowledge the goodness of God (Isaiah 43:21). The activity of thanking God may seem to be something that is not very relevant in our fast-paced modern lives. But in fact, thanking God is something that has the power to turn over every moment of your life. And the Scriptural prophets promised that the calling of the Jewish people will one day light up the world.
Most of mankind’s activities are devoted to acquiring happiness or to avoid the threat of pain. We work to acquire food to eat to escape the threat of starvation and to enjoy the pleasure of eating. We amass wealth in order to avoid the threat of poverty and want. We exert ourselves to protect ourselves and our families from all types of disasters. We seek love, security and stability and we attempt to avoid loneliness, vulnerability and confusion. We want guarantees for our future in this world and the next and we want to see those guarantees in writing and in our own possession.
The underlying assumption that stands behind all of these activities is that we have the ability to escape our state of dependency and establish ourselves to be independent. We think that when the money is in our bank account then we are no longer dependent on outside factors for our material well-being. When we have that medicine in our pharmacies then we will have our health in our hand. When our houses are built and our borders are guarded then we will possess our security. When we find that relationship then we will possess the solution to loneliness and emotional want. When we find the right spiritual connection then we will possess the assurances that will assuage our fears.
In other words, most of mankind’s activities are devoted to combatting the fact that we are dependent beings. We assume that by acquiring various possessions we can establish our own independence.
But this battle of life is a battle of futility. We will never become independent. We will never possess our happiness, our health, our security or a guarantee for our future. How can we possess anything if our very existence does not belong to us? All of our happiness, our security and our physical, emotional and spiritual well-being rest with God. Every minute that we experience existence is a gift from the One who created us all and it is a gift that we did nothing to deserve.
The calling of the Jewish people is to declare to the world that there is no point in fighting God. There is no point in trying to acquire what you can never possess. Instead of fearing the state of dependence, rejoice in the fact that your existence is in the hands of God. Recognize that every breath that you ever took and ever thought that passed through your mind stood on nothing but on God’s love for you. You will come to enjoy the love of God not only in your own life, but you will also delight in God’s goodness that is evident in the breath of every living being.
The mission of the Jewish people is to testify to the simple truth that every iota of existence belongs to God and to no one else. Everything always belonged to Him and everything will forevermore belong to Him.
The greatest opposition that the Jewish people encounter in their mission to bring this truth to their own hearts and to the world is the philosophy of idolatry in its various manifestations. Not only does the philosophy of idolatry oppose the foundational truth of the absolute sovereignty of God but it does so in the name of spirituality and religious virtue.
The philosophy of idolatry opposes the foundational truth of the absolute sovereignty of God on two fronts. On the one hand the call to worship an idol is an exaltation of a quality (or set of qualities) that is contained in the context of a finite existence. Be it the majesty of a mountain, the beauty of river, the serenity and solidity of a statue, the power of thunder or the miraculous powers of Jesus, these are all qualities that are perceived in the context of a finite existence. By exalting these qualities and claiming that these qualities justify devotion toward the entity in which they are found the idolater is denying that these properties can never truly belong to a finite existence. The idolater denies that any quality that is found in the context of a finite existence can only be an undeserved gift from the One Creator of all. Worship of an idol is a denial of the idol’s debt toward the Creator for its very existence.
There is another way that the philosophy of idolatry opposes Israel’s message of God’s sovereignty. The idolater is not only denying the idol’s debt to God but the idolater also denies the worshiper’s debt to God. If we truly recognize that every iota of our existence belongs to God then we would also recognize that the only question that is pertinent in the context of worship is: to whom does my heart belong? The idolater encourages the worshiper to turn away from that question and instead ask: where can I direct my heart and profit the most?
The primary message of Israel’s prophets is that God is the absolute Master of all. Instead of allowing ourselves to be overawed by the qualities that we perceive in various finite entities, we should recognize that these entities are beneficiaries of God’s benevolence. Instead of seeing our hearts as free to bend to the object of our choosing we should recognize that our hearts belong to the One whose love is sustaining our heart this very moment.
The prophets looked forward to the day when idolatry is eradicated from the minds of men. They looked forward to the day when all mankind recognizes and acknowledges that they are indebted to God for their very existence. Mankind will then beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks and they shall learn war no more. They will recognize that wealth and security can never be acquired. They will understand that happiness is feeling the love of God in every breath of life.
The calling of the Jewish people is to remain true to this message. If the word “kosher” (which simply means correct and proper) is going to mean that which is correct and proper in light of Israel’s calling before God then recognizing our debt to our Creator is kosher. A philosophy that exalts an individual without acknowledging that individual’s debt towards God is decidedly not kosher.
The beginning of wisdom is a reverence toward God (Psalm 111:10). This wisdom is not far off. The benevolence of God is evident in every blade of grass, every ray of light and every breath of air. What prevents us from seeing God’s sovereignty is our futile desire to be independent, to establish our own sovereignty. The songs of David draw us away from this illusion of self-sufficiency. David’s music gave expression to the joy that Israel experienced in accepting the fact of God’s mastery over every facet of existence. And Israel’s prophets gave the world hope for a future in which all of mankind experiences that same joy.

~Out on a Limb~

In his appendix to Answering Jewish Objections volume 3, Dr. Michael Brown lays out some principles to try to help us see that Jesus fulfilled messianic prophecies.

Number five in his list is, “It is important to read every prophecy in its overall context in Scripture.” To explain his point, he elaborates on Isaiah chapters 7-11, hoping to connect the birth of Immanuel from 7:14 with the shoot of Jesse in 11:1. Following this thread, Brown remarks (pg. 192) that Matthew 2:23 alluded to Isaiah 11:1, adding parenthetically that “the Hebrew word for ‘Nazarene’ resembles the Hebrew word for ‘branch’.”

This argument by Brown and others seeks to solve a major issue many Jews have with the author of the first gospel. Matthew 2:23 says that Joseph “went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.” We will presume that when the gospel writer wrote this, he was referring to Jesus’ dwelling in Nazareth being significant, not Joseph’s, but the major issue raised by the Jewish camp is that there is no verse in Tanach which says the Messiah, or anyone, is to be called “a Nazarene.”

Brown hints that since the word “Nazarene” (from the city Nazareth, or נצרת) is similar to the word for “branch” in Isaiah 11:1 (נצר), Matthew is correct in his claim in 2:23 and behold, Jesus fulfilled prophecy.

What makes this response from the missionary camp difficult to accept is the fact that there is still no verse that says anyone will be a “Nazarene.” Sure, the Hebrew words in question (נצר and נצרת) share three letters, but the word in Isaiah is not speaking of a city.  Using the Christian logic applied here, one could also say that the Messiah is supposed to be a Choterene, perhaps from a city called Choteret, since the verse says a twig (חטר) will emerge from Jesse, and thus we have a verse Jesus didn’t fulfill.

Back to the point. It is a stretch to say that since the Greek Testament claims Jesus lived in a city with a name similar to the word “branch” in Isaiah, he therefore fulfilled a major messianic prophecy. We gain nothing from knowing where the Messiah lived (which may be why there is no explicit verse telling us this).

What about when Matthew states that “the prophets” said the Messiah will be called a “branch?” Perhaps he was paraphrasing a few oracles which, when we combine their testimony, can be summarized as “he will be called a Nazarene?”

Well, no. The word נצר, branch, appears twice in Tanach: once in Isaiah 11:1 speaking of the Messiah, and once in Isaiah 60:21 speaking of Israel. Yes, there are other places where the Messiah (Jeremiah 23:5) and Israel (Hosea 14:6-8) are described in botanical terms, but only once he the Messiah called a נצר.

The crucial blow to Matthew’s claim is the timing. At what point would one be able to say the Messiah is the “branch?” We could say either when the Messiah is born, at which point the “branch” has already shot forth from Jesse, or when he reveals himself as the Messiah for all to recognize, when it becomes clear who it is who is the branch from Jesse.

Thus, it would make sense for Matthew to appeal to Isaiah 11:1 during the infancy narrative in chapter 1, because then he could argue that now the branch is born. It would make sense for him to appeal to this branch concept during the baptism in chapter 3, when the voice from heaven proclaims “This is my son, in whom I am well pleased.” Or even during his death, when, according to Christians, the main function of his “first coming” was fulfilled. I would go so far as to suggest it would be better had Matthew never written 2:23, and then any appeal to Isaiah 11 would be a basic appeal to actual, clear messianic prophecy.

But for apologists like Dr. Brown to suggest Matthew was pointing to Isaiah 11 only when Jesus moved to the north of Israel lends great credence to the Jewish claim about the first gospel: that a verse or concept was made up from whole cloth and applied to Jesus.

It sure is easy to fulfill hundreds of prophecies if one can make them up as they go along.

-Mordechai

Peace, Jerusalem, and David
In the book of Deuteronomy God commands Israel to establish righteous judges (Deuteronomy 16:18-20). Immediately thereafter we are enjoined not to plant an idolatrous tree near the altar, nor to designate a “matzevah” (- a single stone) for ourselves as this is something that God hates (Deuteronomy 16:21,22).

The association between justice and the altar is not coincidental; it is also found in the book of Exodus where certain laws pertaining to the altar are presented and immediately thereafter we are instructed concerning matters of justice (Exodus 20:21 – 21:1). What is this connection between justice and the altar? And why does God hate the “matzevah”? Didn’t our forefather Jacob offer to God on a “matzevah” (Genesis 28:18)?

A civilization is not a group of people that happen to be living in the same geographical area. Civilization is only achieved when the group of people coordinates their efforts and work together to create a complex society that is much greater than the sum total of the individuals that it includes.

Justice is the glue that keeps a civilization together. Without justice a civilization quickly degenerates into a jungle where the strong crush the weak and the powerful grind the faces of the poor. It is only a society that respects the rights of each individual and only to the degree that the rights of the individual are respected that the society can hope to function as a successful civilization.

The primary function of the king is to ensure that the society he rules over functions as a civilization and not as a jungle. This duty includes synchronizing the efforts, the resources and the various energies of the country to work as one for the good of all. But above all the king must uphold the ideal of justice within the society that he controls.

The concept that stands at the foundation of true justice is the idea that all human beings were equally created by God. Job expresses this thought when he describes how he was dedicated to the principle of justice: “if I ever spurned justice for my servants or maidservants when they contended with me, then what would I do when God would rise up? When He would attend to me, what would I answer Him? Did not the One who made me in the womb make him too?” (Job 31:13-15).

In Job’s society it was very easy for a master to see himself as one who is above the arguments of his slaves and maidservants. Landholders saw themselves as standing on a higher plane of existence than the slaves and maidservants. But Job did not see things that way. Job recognized that there is One Creator who created all men and all are equally subservient to the One who created them all.

Many civilizations have risen and flourished; each with their own version of justice and each with their own set of ideals and aspirations. God did not choose these civilizations. This was not the society that would serve as His dwelling place on earth.

Then Abraham came. He separated himself from the society around him and he established a family on the foundations of charity and justice (Genesis 18:19). It was here that God found a heart that was completely loyal to Him and God chose Abraham, his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob (Nehemiah 9:8). God made a covenant with the patriarchs that it would be their children who will be identified as His people; this will be the civilization that He favors (Genesis 17:7).

When God redeemed the people of Israel from the house of bondage He established a dwelling place for Himself amongst His holy nation (Exodus 29:46). But God still did not choose a permanent “House of God” amongst his people. The society of Israel had not yet reached its full potential as a civilization that is worthy of a permanent dwelling place for God.

Then God found His servant David (Psalm 89:21). David established justice in Israel (2Samuel 8:15) and this justice was rooted in a deep recognition of the absolute sovereignty of God as represented in the songs of the Psalms. In the book of Psalms David gave voice to the heart of Israel in their complete submission to God and with this he consolidated and gave permanence to the true epicenter of Israel’s civilization as a society that is dedicated to God.

When God made the choice of David’s dynasty as the permanent rulers of Israel, then Jerusalem, David’s capital, became the permanent center of Israel’s civilization. Once Israel’s civilization achieved this quality of stability and permanence then, and only then, was God able to establish His permanent dwelling place at the political center of this society (1Kings 8:16).

Let us now return to the questions with which we opened this article. What is the connection between justice and the altar? Everything! It is only when the society is held together by the Godly ideals of justice that God favors their offerings and that His presence can be manifest in their midst.

Why does God hate the “matzevah”, the altar of a single rock? And why was it appropriate for Jacob to offer on this rock?

The altar that God favors is made up of many rocks symbolizing the harmony and unity that exists in the collective of Israel (1Kings 18:31). Once Israel is established as a national entity it is inappropriate for an individual to offer to God on a single rock. The single rock declares that I stand alone and apart from the people around me. The man who offers on the single rock sees himself as an entity that is above and separated from the people around him; the very opposite of the ideal of justice expressed by Job. When our forefathers had not yet established a nation whose heart is dedicated to God then God desired that they stand apart from the idolatrous nations that surrounded them. At that point in time the single rock altar was an appropriate structure for offering to God. But once a society is established on the foundation of loyalty to God; then the man who insists on standing apart is attacking the principle of justice which is the foundation of the civilization.

“A song of ascents, by David. I rejoiced when they said to me, “Let us go up to the House of the Lord.” Our feet stood firm within your gates, O Jerusalem. The built up Jerusalem is like a city that is united together. For there the tribes ascended, the tribes of God, a testimony for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. For there sat thrones of judgment, thrones for the house of David. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; those who love you will be serene. May there be peace within your wall, serenity within your palaces. For the sake of my brethren and my comrades, I shall speak peace in your midst. For the sake of the House of the Lord, our God, I will request good for you.” (Psalm 122).

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Yisroel C. Blumenthal