Matthew: Connecting the Covenants, Part 7 - The Beatitudes

Matthew 5 begins with Yeshua seeing the crowds and ascending a mountain. Sound familiar? Moses ascended a mountain in view of the crowds and was given the Sinai Covenant, the law written on tablets of stone in the book of Exodus. Yeshua chose another mountain as the setting to introduce the crowds to His New Covenant law. 

Scholars call Matthew chapters 5-7 the Sermon on the Mount. The sermon is a declaration of Messiah's kingdom, and it spells out how His followers should live. It is interesting to note that all internal matters of the heart have been amplified. No externals, meaning works of the flesh, are mentioned. Yeshua is preparing His followers to walk by the Spirit.

The sermon begins with what are known as the beatitudes. The word comes from a Latin word meaning blessed. Blessed means to have an internal satisfaction, have a full inner contentment. The Hebrew equivalent is ashrei - to have a deep inner peace and contentment. I had no idea how connected the beatitudes were to the Hebrew scriptures.  I've listed cross references under each beatitude, but indeed, these just touch the surface. That is why this post longer than usual, and also, it has taken me weeks to compile what is here.

• Beatitude 1: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. To be poor in spirit is to recognize one's own spiritual poverty, to mourn over one's sin in a way that leads to repentance, which the only way to the kingdom. This spiritual poverty can be observed in many places in scripture.  Here are a few.  In Acts 2:36-38, Peter proclaimed the crucified and risen Messiah to his fellow Israelites. They were cut to the heart. Psalm 51:17 says, The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Proverbs 16:18-19 tells us, Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.  It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud. In Isaiah 57:15, we read, For this says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

Poverty of spirit leads to mourning.

• Beatitude 2: Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Again, scripture gives many examples. The Greek word used in Matthew is a strong word, used for mourning the dead.  Psalm 126:5-6 says, Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. Isaiah 25:8 says, He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord Yahweh will wipe away tears from all faces and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for Yahweh has spoken. Is 30:19 promises For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. Similarly, Isaiah 51:11-12 says, And the ransomed of Yahweh shall return to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Want more? Check out Isaiah 57:18, Isaiah 61:-3, and Zechariah 12:10-22. In the new covenant, 2 Corinthians 7:10 says, For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

Mourning leads to humility/meekness.

• Beatitude 3: Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. The Greek word for meek carries the idea of a proper balance between anger and indifference, of a powerful personality properly controlled - humility. It describes one who is not easily pushed around, but possesses strength under control. The first two beatitudes were inward, but this one deals with relating to our fellow man. Psalm 25:9 says, He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. Later, verse 13 declares, His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land. Psalm 37:11-12 states, But the meek shall inherit the land, and delight themselves in abundant peace. Psalm 149:4 says it like this: For Yahweh takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation. If you feel like some biblical gymnastics, here are some additional verses on humility: Psalm 69:32, Psalm 147:6, Isaiah 11:4, Isaiah 29:19, Zephaniah 2:3, and James 4:6, and 1 Peter 5:5 (which is quoting Isaiah 66:2).

The person who possesses the previous attributes will yearn for righteousness.

• Beatitude 4: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righeousness, for they shall be satisfied. Ancient culture knew what it meant to hunger and thirst.  These days if we are hungry, we can swing by Chick Fila. But if we hunger and thirst for righteousness, we will be filled; and yet there is an ongoing hunger that is continually filled when we pursue him and his righteousness. Ps 107:9 says, For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things. Amos 8:11 warns, Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord Yahweh, when I will send a famine on the land--not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of Yahweh. King David poetically described how he thirsted for the King of Righteousness Himself in Psalm 63: O God, you are my God; earnestly I leek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water... my soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips. And my favorite: Psalm 34:8, which declares, Oh taste and see that Yahweh is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

When we are completely satisfied in Him, we are able to extend mercy to others.

• Beatitude 5: Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Listen to the words of King David in 2 Samuel 22:26 - With the merciful you show yourself merciful...  David repeats these same words in Psalm 118:25. The second half of these two Davidic quotes lead right into the next beatitude.

• Beatitude 6: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Let's finish the thought of King David in those two quotes in 2 Samuel and Psalm 18 - with the blameless man you show yourself blameless; with the purified you deal purely, and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous. More scriptures on the purity of heart are Psalm 24:3-4, Psalm 73:1, and Proverbs 22:11, to name a few.

When your heart is pure, what do you want to do?  Make peace!

• Beatitude 7: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. The idea being children of God is not spelled out clearly in the Hebrew scriptures. Abraham was called friend of God, but to be called a son (or daughter) is to have an inheritance. Were Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob promised an inheritance? Why yes, yes they were. Genesis 17 records the everlasting and unconditional promise of land to Abraham and his descendants through Isaac (Genesis 26:3) and Jacob (Genesis 35:12). My favorite scripture on peace-making is found in Psalm 122, and interestingly, it is tied to the land: Starting with verse 6 - Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May they be secure who love you! Peace be within your walls and security within your towers! For my brothers and companions' sake I will say, Peace be within you! For the sake of the house of Yahweh our God, I will seek your good. The name Jerusalem means Cities of Peace.  Historically, the earthly Jerusalem has been anything but.  However, when the heavenly Jerusalem comes down to join the regenerated earth, its name will finally live up to its destiny when the Prince of Peace rules from there.

The final beatitude lets us know clearly that we should expect persecution if we are one of Yeshua's followers.

• Beatitude 8: Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness; sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. David wrote Psalm 37 when he was being persecuted by Saul. Verse 12 says, the wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him. Verse 32 says, the wicked watches for the righteous, and seeks to put him to death. In spite of persecution, David persevered, and he was given an earthly kingdom.  This is a foreshadow of the future kingdom when the son of David, King Messiah, will rule. More scriptures on persecution include Psalm 44:22, Psalm 58:10-11, Isaiah 66:5, Luke 21:17, John 15:20, Acts 7:52, 2 Timothy 3:12, 1 Peter 4:14, and Revelation 1:9.

The Hebrew word torah means instruction. In the Sermon on the Mount, Yeshua is giving His followers instructions on how to live under New Covenant Law. As we live in these last days (which I believe we are), let us take these marching orders to heart.  New Covenant law is not easy, and it requires the power of the Holy Spirit to be able to live out these premises. And that is the crux of New Covenant Law - the Lord's precepts written on our heart!

More torah/instruction from Matthew to come soon.

Matthew: Connecting the Covenants, Part 6 - Yeshua's Ministry Begins

We are now in chapter 4, beginning with verse 12.

Following His baptism and temptation, Yeshua got ready to start His ministry.  He was 30 years old, according to Luke 3:23.  It is interesting to note that a priest would begin his priestly service at age 30, as recorded in Numbers 4.

The first thing Yeshua did was to withdraw from Judea and head to the Galilee region, after hearing about the arrest of John the baptizer.  Matthew then paraphrases the scripture from Isaiah 9:1-2, which says, But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish.  In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.  The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; whose who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.

Further confirmation from Isaiah 60:1-3 says, Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of Yahweh has risen upon you.  For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but Yahweh will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

The light has come! Where else have we seen darkness covering the earth, then boom - light?  Look no further than Genesis 1:2-3, which says, The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, "Let there be light."

Beautiful Sea of Galilee at sunrise

And what is Yeshua's initial message?  Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.  God has always intended to have a kingdom on earth, with man ruling and reigning with him. But many things still had to happen before the final culmination of that kingdom.  Six thousand years later, we are still waiting. There will be much more on God's kingdom as we move continue through Matthew.

Before moving on, why Galilee? After the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel and the subsequent scattering of the northern tribes, Galilee had become heavily settled by non-Jews, especially Assyrians and Samaritans. A minority of Jews began to resettle the area in the times of the Maccabbees, about 165-140 BC, including refugees from the line of King David of Bethlehem (which is why Mary and Joseph were living in the Galilee region). But the Jews were still a minority.  

I love that of Yeshua ministered to both Jews and Gentiles during His time on earth.

Yeshua began choosing His followers, and the four gospels give us different eyewitness accounts of that process.

Matthew gives us a beautiful picture of fishermen, who would leave their fishing nets behind and eventually go fishing for people.  According to the gospel of John, Peter and his brother Andrew had been followers of John the baptizer, so they had previously encountered Yeshua.

Matthew does not mention the miracle of the nets full of fish the morning after a fruitless night's work, but Luke wrote of it, which is why Matthew 4:22 records that James and John immediately left their father and their fishing jobs to follow Him.

Yeshua then traveled throughout Galilee, teaching in the synagogues, proclaiming the kingdom, and healing every disease and affliction.  His fame spread even into Syria and beyond the Jordan. The healing of Naaman the Syrian just popped into my mind as I wrote this. Yahweh healed him of leprosy after he dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as recorded in 2 Kings 5. We will come back to the account of Naaman in the near future, so hold that thought.

Psalm 103 sings of His marvelous works, His righteousness, His steadfast love, and His kingdom!  Yeshua, being God, was manifesting all of those things in His Galilean ministry.

Bless Yahweh O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
Bless Yahweh, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit,

who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Yahweh works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.
Yahweh is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
As a father shows compassion to his children, so Yahweh shows compassion to those who fear him.
For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.
As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field;
for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.

But the steadfast love of Yahweh is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.

Yahweh has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.
Bless Yahweh, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word,  obeying the voice of his word!
Bless Yahweh, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will!

Bless Yahweh, all his works, in all places of his dominion.
Bless Yahweh, O my soul!

Up next: The Beatitudes.  Click here to read on.

Matthew: Connecting the Covenants Part 5: The Testing of Messiah in the Wilderness

I should hardly have to write about the connection to the Hebrew scriptures in Matthew chapter 4, because Matthew recorded them for us regarding the testing of Yeshua in the wilderness.  But what if there was more than meets the eye that took place?

Matthw 4:1-2 says, Then Yeshua was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

Nerd note: the Greek word for tempted is the same word as tested. The Blue Letter Bible says it this way: To make trial of, for the purpose of ascertaining his quality, or what he thinks, or how he will behave himself.

Immediately, we have a connection to the nation of Israel as they were led out of Egypt and into the wilderness.  1 Corinthians 10:1-4 makes a spiritual connection to Moses:  Our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink.  For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Messiah.

Yeshua was identifying with His people by reenacting the Exodus, being led (actually driven) by the Spirit into the wilderness and then fasting for 40 days and 40 nights – a symbolic picture of the Israelites' 40 years in the wilderness following their baptism through the Red Sea. But as we will see, the Messiah passed the time of testing, unlike the Israelites who failed many times while in the wilderness (and if I had been there, I’d have failed as well. I would have been the loudest whiner when hungry and thirsty).

Satan wasted no time to come at the Lord, who was hungry after 40 foodless days. If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.  If?  Who is the devil kidding?  He knows exactly who Yeshua is. Yeshua quoted Deuteronomy 8:3, that man should not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Side note: In the Lord’s prayer, we are told to ask for our daily bread.  I don’t believe that Yeshua meant physical food, since a few verses later we are told not to worry about what we will eat.  He meant the daily bread of the Word of God. 

In this test, we are also shown a connection between rocks and bread. Messiah is our spiritual rock.  He provided the bread (manna) to the Israelites while they were in the wilderness, as well as water that gushed out of a rock. Satan pointed out that Yeshua could have turned those wilderness rocks into bread. (Another scripture just popped into my head: Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  But that's a few chapters away yet).

Moving on to the next test, the devil took Yeshua to the pinnacle of the temple, quoting Psalm 91:11-12 out of context – For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.  On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.

Satan was trying to get Yeshua to take a shortcut to His kingdom, by suggesting that His angels supernaturally carry Him from the top of the temple to the midst of His people, to become their king.  Yeshua knew that the shortcut would not work, because He first had to suffer, die, and rise so He could free them from their sin.  But the temptation to bypass that suffering had to have been real for Him. However, Yeshua rebuked the devil with Deuteronomy 6:16 – You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.  (Did you catch that Yeshua equaled Himself to God here?)

The shortcut that the devil offered to Yeshua was similar to the shortcut that Israel could have taken after their deliverance from Egypt. In Exodus 13, the Lord would not allow the Israelites to take that shortcut to the promised land.  They were not ready for warfare, being newly freed slaves, and their time of testing in the wilderness would not be bypassed.

Satan gave one last effort and took Yeshua to a high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world.  All Yeshua had to do was bow down and worship the devil. The ultimate test… you don’t have to go through all that suffering!  Just put me in charge and I’ll give you all these kingdoms.  Of course, the father of lies was lying. The whole world would have been lost forever had Yeshua succumbed to this final temptation.

Good things come to those who wait.  Revelation 11:15 tells us, The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he shall reign forever and ever. Can you imagine?  His perfect kingdom, here on earth. No nonsense, no turmoil, no elections every four years! I can hardly wait!

The Millennial Kingdom - I don't know what it 
will look like, but I know where it will be.
Jerusalem.

Some commentators have compared the three temptations to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life as stated in 1 John 2:16. Food for thought.

Having passed the time of testing, Yeshua was now ready to begin His ministry. That will be the subject of my next post.  Click here to read it.

Sukkot and the Great Harvest to come

I interrupt my trek through Matthew's gospel to bring you a holiday greeting. 

Happy Sukkot!  Happy Feast of Booths!  Happy Feast of Tabernacles!

A sukkah - a temporary dwelling during Sukkot.

Sukkot is the final of the seven appointed times of Yahweh.  The seven mo'edim (appointments in Hebrew, often translated as feasts) are a beautiful picture of the complete work of Messiah.

At our ladies bible study yesterday, we began with a conversation about gardening (probably because I have tomatoes and peppers all over my counters), which led to a conversation about biblical agriculture.  Scripture often uses agricultural stories, parables, and comparisons to express God's truths, because in those days, agriculture was central to survival. 

Costco did not yet exist.

The feasts of the spring - Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, and Pentecost - were fulfilled by Yeshua at His first coming, through His death, burial, resurrection, and sending of His Holy Spirit.  These appointed times took place during the barley and wheat harvests, respectively.

Spring: a time for grain in Israel

Then comes the long, hot summer between the spring and fall feasts, where the hard work of agriculture continues.  As the summer comes to an end, a great harvest begins to come in.  Not just the breadbox ingredients of the spring, but the extreme bounty of the final harvest.  Grapes.  Pomegranates. Olives. Dates. Figs. And many other fruits and vegetables.

Fall: a time of great bounty

Once, while in Israel, I was on a day trip to Hebron.  As our bus motored past Bethlehem (meaning house of bread), someone asked our Orthodox Jewish tour guide what the plants were in the various  fields that we were passing. She replied that the fields currently contained olives, grapes, figs, and other similar bounty, but that back in biblical times, these same fields contained wheat and barley.  

My mind was blown. But I don't think anyone else on the bus caught the significance of her statement.

What a picture of the return of Yeshua, when the harvest of the last days will be bountiful and great.  And if He fulfilled the spring feasts with such precision, it stands to reason that He will perfectly fulfill the fall feasts when He returns.

• Yom Teruah - Day of Trumpets.  The Messiah will be welcomed to earth with trumpet blasts.
• Yom Kippur - Day of Atonement.  All Israel will finally be redeemed.
• Sukkot - God will once again dwell on earth with mankind, as was His original intention in the garden of Eden.

Every tribe, tongue, nation, and people will be a part of this great harvest! Isaiah 49:6 reminds us, “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

People from all nations will worship Him in the kingdom

As I was pondering all these really cool biblical patterns and truths, a thought popped into my head.  When we celebrate communion, we are commemorating the death and resurrection of the Messiah. But with what do we remember? 

Communion features an element from each festal season - bread from the grains of spring, and wine from the grapes of the fall. And not only that, but every single Shabbat meal celebrated on Friday evenings by Jews today features... bread and wine.  It's like a dress rehearsal for His return!  In both cases, we have a complete picture of the work of Messiah Yeshua.

Matthew: Connecting the Covenants, Part 4 – Vipers and Yeshua’s Baptism

We left off in Matthew with crowds of people coming from all over Israel to hear John the Immerser and getting dunked in the river by him.

Enter the Jewish leaders – the Pharisees and Saduccees - who wanted to know what was going on down by the river.  John greeted them by calling them Brood of vipers.  (I used to think that brood just meant a bunch of something, but no... it means offspring or seed). If we go back to Genesis 3, to the first snake in scripture, we see that John was linking those leaders to the offspring of God's enemy, the serpent.

In Psalm 58:3-4, David confirms this idea: The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies.  They have venom like the venom of a serpent, like the deaf adder that stops its ear.

Yuck! Is it coincidence that snakes
make so many people recoil?

The Jewish leaders were there for show, and to maintain their control over the people, but not for repentance.  John warned them to bear fruits worthy of repentance, and to flee from the wrath to come.  He declared that just because they were children of Abraham, they were not immune to the wrath of God that was coming. It was commonly thought back then that just because a person was Jewish, he was automatically a part of God's kingdom.

John then warned in verse 10, Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  In verse 12, he added, His winnowing fork is in his hand, and He will clear his threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn, but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.

What a pair of warnings!  And sandwiched into those warnings was John's declaration that there was a more worthy One coming after him (Yeshua) who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

Listen to these words from Malachi 4:1 and see if you detect a similarity to John’s warnings – For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble.  The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says Yahweh of hosts, so that it well leave them neither root nor branch.

Yikes.

Matthew chapter 3 wraps up with the baptism of Yeshua. John knew that Yeshua had no need for a baptism of repentance and objected.  But verse 15 says, Yeshua answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”  Then [John] consented. 

Through His baptism, Yeshua identified with sinful man.  Isaiah 53:12b tells us, He was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Additionally, since baptism is a picture of a new beginning, it was totally appropriate for Yeshua to kick off His public ministry in such a Jewish way.

After His baptism, something happened. The very heavens opened up and the Spirit of God rested on Him like a dove, and a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.

This didn’t happen with anyone else’s dunking.  It was a significant, supernatural occurrence.

I believe the mention of the dove here is significant.  In Hebrew, the word for dove is Jonah.  Jonah ran from God, jumped into a chaotic ocean, and landed in the belly of a fish. A dove brought back an olive branch to the ark. The connection of the dove to water in these cases is unmistakable, bringing ultimate peace out of the chaos.  Even today a dove is a symbol of peace.

There are ALWAYS doves nestling in the clefts of the Western Wall
in Jerusalem. It's like they are waiting for His return!

Yeshua’s ultimate purpose was and is to bring peace out of the chaos.

Matthew: Connecting the Covenants, Part 3 - Chapter 3A - John the Immerser

Matthew 3 introduces us to John the Baptist, but we are not told too much about him.  Luke chapter 3 tells us he is the miracle son of the priest Zachariah and his wife Elizabeth, who were well beyond child-bearing years.

John was not a Baptist, nor was his name actually John.  His Hebrew name is Yochanan, meaning Yahweh is a gracious giver.  The names of his parents mean Yahweh remembers, and the oath of Yahweh.

Names mean something in scripture.  Taken together, we see a prophetic promise in the names of this priestly family:  Yahweh remembers His oath, and He has sent a gracious gift.

The gracious gift was their son, given to them in their old age, who was to have the privilege of preparing hearts for the arrival of the Messiah. In Luke 1:72-73, we even see Zechariah referring to the oath of the Lord in the midst of his beautiful prophecy: …to show mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham…

Now John, who was himself of the priestly lineage, preached in the wilderness of Judea.  Verse 2 gives us his message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Artist's rendering of John preaching at the Jordan River

John was preparing hearts to receive their king.

Repentance is a key theme in the Hebrew scriptures, and John’s audience would have understood what was being asked of them.  The Hebrew word shoov is used over 1000 times in the scriptures, and it means to turn back or return.  The word teshuva, based on this root word, is understood in Hebrew as turning back to God and away from sin.

The kingdom of heaven is Matthew’s way of saying God’s kingdom to Jews who generally avoided using God’s name or title (and still do to this day).  Luke, writing to a more Gentile audience, generally uses the latter expression.  But they mean the same thing. The kingdom of the Lord was about to be offered to the Jewish people.  Would they accept?

Matthew then quotes lsaiah 40:3 in verse 3, saying, For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

Malachi 4:5 says, Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.

Matthew 3:4 goes on to basically describe Elijah the prophet.  John wore camel’s hair and a leather belt, and ate locusts and wild honey. For comparison, 2 Kings 1:8 says, They answered him [Ahaziah, king of Israel], “He wore a garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist.”  And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”

Further on in Matthew, we will see Yeshua referring to John the Baptist as Elijah (chapters 11 and 17 if you want to read ahead, also Luke 1:17). This does not mean that John was literally Elijah, but was a prophetic type of Elijah. I believe that Malachi 4:5 is a near/far prophecy, and that we will see a type of Elijah again just before Yeshua’s return.

Before moving on, I want to talk about the idea of making the paths straight. It was an ancient custom to fix pathways and hills that were damaged by rains, heat, and constant treading of animals, in preparation for the arrival of royalty. Boulders and debris would be removed, holes filled in, and paths leveled.

Isaiah 40:4 was not quoted in Matthew, but it would have been understood:  Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.

Let me share a modern day example.  In 2017, I was in Jerusalem during the visit of President Donald Trump.  The president was transported from Ben Gurion Airport to a parking lot in south Jerusalem via the presidential helicopter Marine One.  I happened to be staying at a friend’s house just across from that parking lot.  The Jerusalem city workers had literally flattened that parking lot; removing bushes, trees, and raised curbs prior to Trump’s arrival. My friend actually saw the landing and caught it on video. I was off galivanting, so I missed the excitement.

So John, a prophetic picture of Elijah, was dunking people in the Jordan river as they confessed their sins.  Many people think of baptism as a Christian idea, but it is rooted in biblical Judaism.  The modern Hebrew term for ritual immersion is mikveh.  In the Hebrew scriptures, there are many examples of ritual bathing to remove uncleanness, which morphed into the custom of dunking in the mikveh for various life events. On my first visit to Israel, our secular Jewish tour guide explained that immersing in the mikveh was like becoming a newborn baby… in other words, born again. When Peter and company immersed 3000 people in Acts 2, they most likely used the ritual baths (over 60 of them) that have been discovered around the Temple Mount.

Matthew 3:5-6 shows people from all around the area – Jerusalem, Judea, and the Jordan River region – flocking to the place where John was immersing people while they repented and confessed their sins. Word was getting around that something big was afoot, and even the bigwigs of Judaism were making their way to hear John. But I don’t believe they expected to hear what John was going to say, and that will be covered in my next post.

Before ending, I just want to say that the location of John’s baptism site was no random spot. It is the very location where the Israelites crossed into the Promised Land from the wilderness.  God was about to begin something new.  The very word for Hebrew comes from the word Eber, which means one from beyond. The idea here is crossing over from darkness to light.

See below for explanation of this painting

I once saw this amazing painting hanging on an outdoor wall in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem.  I'm so glad I took a photo because I haven't seen it since. It is a picture of crossing from darkness to light, but there is more going on here.  The Hebrew letters Alef and Tav are attached to the cliffs, and the person walking is carrying the Mem (Hebrew reads from right to left). Alef and Tav are equivalent to the Alpha and Omega in the Greek - the first and the last, the beginning and the end. The Mem which is being carried will fit perfectly to make a bridge between the Alef and the Tav.  Alef Mem Tav spells Emet - meaning truth in Hebrew. The Mem is the first letter of the word Mashiach, or Messiah.

The next post on Matthew chapter 3 is now ready.  Click here to read it.

 

Matthew: Connecting the Covenants, Part 2 - Chapter 2: Wise Men and an Evil King

Welcome to part two of connecting the covenants!   I have decided to put the New Covenant scriptures in red and the corresponding Hebrew scriptures in blue throughout this series. I've updated my first post with this information. We continue today with Matthew chapter 2.  The first two verses contain numerous connections.

Now after Yeshua was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?  For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him."

Our first connection is to Micah 5:2, where we learn the birthplace of the Messiah:  But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from old, from ancient days.

Bethlehem Ephrathah is used to distinguish which Bethlehem, as there were several in Israel in the time of Yeshua.  Ephrathah was in Judea, and is also there today.  The modern Jewish town called Efrat is just outside the Palestinian Authority-controlled Bethlehem.

Micah describes this town of Bethlehem as small, and indeed it was back then, even though it was the ancestral home of King David.  Located six miles south of Jerusalem, it was quite tiny.  Many of the Judean descendants of David, in line for the throne of Israel, fled from Bethlehem during the persecution by the Greeks under Antiochus in the 160's BC.  Where did they go?  Galilee. Specifically Nazareth. More on Nazareth at the end of this post.

By the way, Bethlehem means house of bread and ephrathah means fruitful.

So. who were these wise men, what was this star they spoke of, and how did they know about it?

The book of Daniel gives us numerous examples of the king's men in Babylon.  In Daniel 2:2, the Septuagint (Hebrew scriptures translated into Greek about 200 years before Yeshua was born) uses, among others, the Greek word magi to describe the king's "magicians."  These magicians, sorcerers, and diviners were advisors to the king. Daniel himself was elevated to the position of advisor to various kings in Babylon. Magi is the word used in Matthew 2:2 for wise men.

After the seventy years of exile were up for the Jews in Babylon, a small percentage of them returned to Jerusalem, but the majority remained in Babylon.  Did the Jewish presence in Babylon over the years have influence over the wise men and astrologers there?  Were they familiar with the Hebrew scriptures? 

Numbers 24:17 is a prophecy uttered by Balaam, the Gentile who was unable to curse the Israelites but instead blessed them: I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.

Also, there are numerous Hebrew scriptures that speak of nations and kings bowing down to the Messiah. The wise men came to the feet of Messiah from the nations to give homage to the newborn king. Technically, they were not kings, but they served kings.

Psalm 72 says, May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts! May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!

Isaiah 60:3 says, And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.  

Continuing the story in Matthew... The wise men went to Jerusalem and asked around about Israel's coming king.  Herod caught wind of this and was beside himself - and all of Jerusalem with him. He was an evil man who killed his wives and sons out of paranoia that someone would usurp his throne. The people of Jerusalem knew that if Herod wasn't happy, ain't nobody happy. Herod left no stone unturned and summoned his own wise men... the Jewish leaders, to find out where this king would be born. They told Herod where this would be, quoting Micah 5:2... right there in Matthew 2:6.

Herod then summoned the Eastern wise men and grilled them about the timing, and then commanded them to go find the kid and bring him word so that he too could worship him.

The magi listened to the king and then went on their way, following the star and it led them to the house where the child was.

Stop.

I have no idea how a star in the sky can rest over a house in the physical realm. May I suggest an idea? 

The last verse of Revelation chapter 1 says this about John's vision:  As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

The Greek word for angel, angelos, means a messenger, an envoy, one who is sent. Could the star that led the magi to the house have been a messenger or envoy of some kind?  I believe it makes sense.

Note that these wise men did not go to Yeshua's original birthplace... the cave, the stable, or wherever it was.  The child was now a little older and was at the house where he and his parents were staying (but still in Bethlehem).  The magi entered the house, saw the child with his mother, and fell down and worshiped. Gentiles from afar worshipping the Jewish Messiah. They gave the child gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (This is why we assume there were three magi - three gifts.  But there could have been an entire ensemble of magi).

Isaiah 60:6 says, They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of Yahweh. Did you notice that there is no myrrh mentioned here?  This is an example of a near/far prophecy. Myrrh was a gift included at His first coming because it is a spice that represents death.  However, when He returns as the King of glory, no myrrh will be required.

It is interesting that Luke 2 records the first worshippers of the Messiah - the Jewish shepherds. They went straight to Yeshua's place of birth after being told where to find Him by an angel.  This order fits the repeated biblical pattern of the Jew first and then the nations. The magi came later.

After worshipping the baby king, the magi dreamt that they were not to return to Herod, and so they didn't. They snuck out the back door of Judea, so to speak.

Time for another angelic dream, this time for Joseph, telling him to get his family out of there pronto. Joseph wasted no time, and they all left for Egypt under the cover of darkness. Matthew 2:15 says they remained there until the death of Herod.  This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt I called my son."

Oooo, another connection.  Hosea 11:1 says, When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. This prophecy has so many layers! Both Abraham (Genesis 12) and Moses (Exodus 12) left Egypt with great treasures.  Joseph and Mary eventually left Egypt and returned to Israel with the greatest treasure of all - the Messiah!

Meanwhile, back in Bethlehem... Herod was furious at being tricked by the wise men, and he put to death all the male children in Bethlehem and surrounding areas ages two and under.  Matthew 2:18 records a prophecy from Jeremiah: A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.

Going back to Jeremiah, it is interesting to note the context of this verse.  Jeremiah 31 is filled with promises of hope and restoration for Israel. The comfort and reassurance in that chapter is so great that verse 15 stands out as such a contrast - that of Rachel weeping for her children. Ramah was well north of Bethlehem, so the prophecy isn't location-specific.  I believe the contrast of that one verse of mourning in the midst of great hope is intentional.

In the same way, the celebration and joy of the Messiah's earthly arrival is tempered by the tragic murders in Bethlehem. 

Herod was not the only despot to murder Jewish baby boys.  We also have a connection back to Exodus chapter 1, where the evil Pharaoh commanded the deaths of all the Israelite baby boys.

In both of those cases, the future deliverer of his people was rescued from death as a baby. First Moses, then Yeshua.

Matthew chapter 2 concludes with Joseph being given another dream to return to Israel.  The final verse says, And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.

This prophecy isn't so clear, as it is not a direct quote of a verse - at least not in the English.  However, check out Isaiah 11:1... There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. That word for branch is netzer. The name Nazareth comes from this word and means branch town. It is the town where the branch of the stump of Jesse, the promised Messiah, would grow up. Even today in Israel, followers of Yeshua are called Notzrim, a title that stems (pun intended) from the same root (pun also intended) word.

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