In Sanctity and Holiness

By Dan and Brenda Cathcart

The video version of this teaching is at: https://youtu.be/kQkGaFnSirk

The scripture reading is 2 Samuel 6:1-7:17

David faced many “giants” in his path to becoming the king of Israel. He faced lions and bears while he was a shepherd over his father’s flock. He faced the Philistine giant Goliath who held all Israel hostage to his demands. He faced the giant of rejection by his beloved King Saul. After Saul’s death, David faced rejection again when the leaders of the tribes of Israel rejected him from being their king even though they knew God had chosen and anointed him as king. Finally, David overcame and defeated the Philistines who tried to snatch the kingdom away from him after he had taken Jerusalem. The Philistines came at David from the Valley of Rephaim meaning the Valley of Giants and David drove them back almost to the Sea. When it was time to celebrate his victories, what better way to do that than to bring the Ark of the Covenant into the new capital city of Jerusalem.

2 Samuel 6:1-2 NKJV 1 Again David gathered all the choice men of Israel, thirty thousand. 2 And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, whose name is called by the Name, the LORD of Hosts, who dwells between the cherubim.

The Ark of the Covenant was on the move to its new home in Jerusalem escorted by specially chosen men of Israel. This is reminiscent of the journey of the Ark of the Covenant to the Promised Land. Like with the journey in the wilderness, there were difficulties along the way. What were the difficulties and victories that David experienced in bringing the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem? How does this journey warn and encourage us in our journey to God’s Promised Land?

Throughout David’s life, he faithfully inquired of God what God would have him to do. For example, when he saw the armies of the Philistines converging on Jerusalem, he asked God how to arrange his forces to defeat the Philistines.

2 Samuel 5:18-20 NKJV 18 The Philistines also went and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. 19 So David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?" And the LORD said to David, "Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand." 20 So David went to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there; and he said, "The LORD has broken through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of water." Therefore he called the name of that place Baal Perazim.

When God did indeed deliver the Philistines into David’s hands, David called the place “Baal Peratzim,” number 1188 in Strong’s Concordance meaning “the master of breaches.” The root word or peratzim is number 6559, “peretz” meaning to break out or breach. David rightly credited God for his ability to break through his enemies. The Philistines rallied and attacked David at Jerusalem a second time. Once again, David sought God’s plan for defeating the Philistines. This time, God went out and defeated the Philistines in front of David.

In celebration of these victories, David desired to bring the Ark of the Covenant into his new capital city. Wanting to honor the God who had always been with him and who had most recently given Israel a resounding victory over the Philistines, David planned carefully.

1 Chronicles 13:1-3 NKJV 1 Then David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, and with every leader. 2 And David said to all the assembly of Israel, "If it seems good to you, and if it is of the LORD our God, let us send out to our brethren everywhere who are left in all the land of Israel, and with them to the priests and Levites who are in their cities and their common-lands, that they may gather together to us; 3 "and let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we have not inquired at it since the days of Saul."

The high priest who wore the Urim and Thummim used to inquire of God on his breastplate went into exile with David.  Abiathar had given aid to David and his men and then been forced to flee from the wrath of Saul. Now, David wanted to reunite the high priest Abiathar with the Ark of the Covenant. The place for inquiring of God should rightly be at the Ark of the Covenant. David had a new cart made for the express purpose of transporting the Ark. He gathered all of Israel with their musical instruments to play music before the LORD. One thing David forgot, however, was to inquire of the LORD how to bring the Ark into Jerusalem! A disaster was waiting to happen! As the procession approached the threshing floor of Nachon, the oxen pulling the cart stumbled. Uzzah, a Levite of the house of Abinadab, reached out to steady the Ark.

2 Samuel 6:6-7 NKJV 6 And when they came to Nachon's threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. 7 Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God.

What went wrong? In David’s failure to consult God, he, also, failed to consult the Torah. The Ark of the Covenant had resided twenty years in one place and the instructions for how to move it were apparently forgotten. The Ark was not to be moved on a cart; it was to be carried on the shoulders of the Kohathites.

Numbers 4:15 NKJV 15 "And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is set to go, then the sons of Kohath shall come to carry  them; but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These are the things in the tabernacle of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry.

Only a priest could touch the holy things of the Tabernacle! This was especially true of the Ark of the Covenant! Although Uzzah had good intentions, he profaned the Ark by reaching out and touching it! A similar thing happened when the Tabernacle was dedicated in the wilderness before the children of Israel began their journey to the Promised Land. Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, brought strange fire before the LORD and the fire of the LORD consumed Nadab and Abihu.

When Uzzah died, the whole procession came to an abrupt stop! We read that David became angry.

2 Samuel 6:8 NKJV 8 And David became angry because of the LORD'S outbreak against Uzzah; and he called the name of the place Perez Uzzah to this day.

We don’t know if David was angry at God or at himself, but he certainly attributed the death of Uzzah to God. David had earlier named the place where God had given him victory over the Philistines Baal Paretzim; he names this place Peretz Uzzah meaning the break or breach of Uzzah. As a result of this event, David relearned the fear of the LORD.

2 Samuel 6:9 NKJV 9 David was afraid of the LORD that day; and he said, "How can the ark of the LORD come to me?"

David learned that God could not be treated casually. Nor was God at David’s command to do as David desired. God had displayed His mighty power first in defeating the Philistines and second in protecting His sanctity. David was not sure that bringing the Ark of the Covenant into the city would be a good idea, so he diverted the Ark to the nearby home of a Levite named Obed-Edom.

2 Samuel 6:10-11 NKJV 10 So David would not move the ark of the LORD with him into the City of David; but David took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. 11 The ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months. And the LORD blessed Obed-Edom and all his household.

The book of Chronicles records that Obed-Edom was a Kohathite of the family of Korah. He became a gatekeeper and musician during temple worship. 1 Chronicles 26 tells us that God blessed Obed-Edom with many sons and grandsons, sixty two in all! The presence of the Ark of the Covenant resulted in blessings when God’s instructions were followed as promised by Moses.

Deuteronomy 6:1-2 NKJV 1 "Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the LORD your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, 2 "that you may fear the LORD your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged.

After three months, David made plans to once again bring the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem. This time he followed God’s instructions for handling and moving the Ark.

1 Chronicles 15:1-2 NKJV 1 David built houses for himself in the City of David; and he prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched a tent for it. 2 Then David said, "No one may carry the ark of God but the Levites, for the LORD has chosen them to carry the ark of God and to minister before Him forever."

The procession began with only six steps, then, they stopped and sacrificed oxen and sheep. David was careful to get everything right this time! The Stone Edition Chumash explains:

Far from being a danger, however, the Ark proved to be a blessing to its new host, so David had it brought to Jerusalem with pomp and celebration, with sanctity and devotion. No one celebrated more than the king himself, dancing with abandon in a public display of boundless joy that the Ark was coming “home.”[i]

David put off the robes of the kingship while bringing the Ark into Jerusalem. Perhaps this was in acknowledgement that his first attempt at bringing the Ark into the city was more about his own aggrandizement than God’s. Instead, David put on the linen ephod, the standard apparel of the priesthood.

2 Samuel 6:14-15 NKJV 14 Then David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod. 15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet.

David didn’t just dance a little bit; he danced with wild abandon and acrobatics! There was nothing dignified in David’s actions! He is described as leaping and whirling around! When they reached the city, David brought the Ark into the tent he had prepared for it.

2 Samuel 6:17-19 NKJV 17 So they brought the ark of the LORD, and set it in its place in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. 18 And when David had finished offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts. 19 Then he distributed among all the people, among the whole multitude of Israel, both the women and the men, to everyone a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins. So all the people departed, everyone to his house.

The two offerings that David brings are the burnt offering and the peace offering. The burnt offering is a gift totally given to God. It is usually a bull that is sacrificed with the whole animal placed on the altar. The smoke of the offering rises entirely to God. The peace offering is a shared meal with God along with the family and friends of the one bringing the offering. David shared out his peace offering with everyone gathered to Jerusalem for this event. Everyone received a portion of the meal which included bread, meat and a cake made with the fruit of the grapes. The Stone Edition Chumash translation describes the meal as including a loaf of bread, a portion of beef, and a container of wine fitting the requirements of the peace offering. David concluded the ceremony by blessing the people. Imagine the scene, King David steps up dressed simply in the garments of the priesthood, raises his hands forming the letter shin for El Shaddai, and speaks the words of the blessings over the people. At the conclusion, all the people returned to their houses.

However, not everyone in Jerusalem was pleased with the actions of King David. David’s wife Michal, daughter of Saul, watched these proceedings through the window of David’s house. When she saw David’s unrestrained dancing, she despised him. While all the people were celebrating, Michal remained in the house. After blessing the people, David also, returned to his house with the intent of blessing his household.

2 Samuel 6:20 NAS95 20 But when David returned to bless his household, Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, "How the king of Israel distinguished himself today! He uncovered himself today in the eyes of his servants' maids as one of the foolish ones shamelessly uncovers himself!"

David’s intent to bless his household was blocked by the scornful greeting of Michal. Michal is not described here as David’s wife; she is described as Saul’s daughter. It was Saul’s pride that led to his downfall as a king. When Samuel was delayed in arriving to celebrate Saul’s victory over the Philistines, Saul didn’t want to look bad in the eyes of the people, so he offered the sacrifices in Samuel’s place. Michal regards David’s actions as humiliating himself before the women of his household. The word translated as “uncovered” is number 1540 “galah,” meaning to denude in a disgraceful sense, such as the stripping of a captive. Figuratively, it means to reveal, expose, be discovered, or to be taken captive. Michal accuses David of behavior unbecoming of a king.

First Fruits of Zion in Torah club Volume three comments:

It obviously offended her pride to have her husband, the great king, acting in such a humble and devoted manner before the Holy One and before the rest of Israel.[ii]

David responds to Michal’s scorn with the assertion that he will continue to worship God and, that those whom Michal thought would despise David, would instead honor him.

2 Samuel 6:21-22 NAS95 21 So David said to Michal, "It was before the LORD, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel; therefore I will celebrate before the LORD. 22 "I will be more lightly esteemed than this and will be humble in my own eyes, but with the maids of whom you have spoken, with them I will be distinguished."

David was pleased to be lightly esteemed before the LORD; however, Saul could not bear to be lightly esteemed. Samuel’s words to Saul touch on this.

1 Samuel 15:17, 19 NKJV 17 So Samuel said, "When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the LORD anoint you king over Israel?...19 "Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the LORD?"

So, Michal, instead of receiving the blessing that God would have bestowed on her through David blessing his household, remained childless. This is a very different outcome than the outcome for Obed-Edom who received the blessing of many sons and grandsons.

David had achieved his goal of bringing the Ark of the Covenant into the capital city of Jerusalem. But he was not pleased that the Ark was in a tent while he lived in a house of cedar. This does not line up with his desire to be lightly esteemed and humble before the LORD. David desired to build a house for his God.

2 Samuel 7:1-2 NKJV 1 Now it came to pass when the king was dwelling in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies all around, 2 that the king said to Nathan the prophet, "See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains."

God did not grant David’s request to be allowed to build a temple for God. We’ve looked at this in depth in previous teachings. However, God honored David for his desire to build a house for Him, by stating that God would build a permanent dwelling place for Israel and that, within Israel, God would build a house for David.

2 Samuel 7:10-11 NKJV 10 "Moreover I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more; nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them anymore, as previously, 11 "since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel, and have caused you to rest from all your enemies. Also the LORD tells you that He will make you a house.

This house that God would build for David would be a house from which David and his descendants would rule over the nation of Israel. It would be at this time that a son of David would build a house for God. This promise of the kingship would be an everlasting appointment, different from that granted to Saul.

2 Samuel 7:13-16 NAS95 13 "He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 "I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, 15 but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 "Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever."'"

The word translated as “lovingkindness” is number 2617, “chesed” means kindness or favor. However, this word is covenant language. First Fruits of Zion explains in Torah Club Volume Three:

The word “lovingkindnes” (hesed,) is a covenantal word. It expresses God’s legal/covenantal commitment to be faithful to His Promise.[iii]

David’s son Solomon, whose name means peaceful, built the house for the LORD. However, that temple was eventually destroyed and Israel was driven from the Promised Land, not once, but twice! The covenant is still in effect, though. David’s house and kingdom will always endure. There will be another time, when God gives victory to the Son of David and He will march triumphant into Jerusalem, not according to the commandments of man, but according to the commandments and sanctity of God!

We, also, have a journey that we are to take on the way to Jerusalem. That journey, like the journey of the Ark under the command of David, is to be a journey observing the commandments, statutes, and judgments of God. We are not to treat the things of God lightly, but we are to fear God. The Book of Ecclesiastes describes the futility of a life lived without God. It ends with these words of wisdom.

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 NKJV 13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all. 14 For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.

In our journey through life, the goal of eternal life dwelling in the eternal city of Jerusalem is before us. Through Yeshua, our Messiah and the Son of David, we have the promise of a dwelling place in the land that will be ruled over by Yeshua. Let us complete our journey in the fear of God as we honor and keep His commandments.

Study Questions:

1. Discuss the connection of this teaching to the Torah Portion Shemini, Leviticus 9:1-11:47.

2. Peretz, #6559, means to break out. One of the sons of Judah was named Peretz. The word is also used in Micah 2:12-13 about a breaker breaking out into the kingdom. Yeshua refers to this passage in Matthew 11:11-15. How does this use of the word peretz connect these passages?

3. God’s judgment fell on Nadab and Abihu in the Tabernacle for bringing strange fire and on Uzzah son of Abinadab for touching the Ark of the Covenant. What do these names mean? What is the connection between the name Nadab and the name Abinadab? What other connections are there between these people?

4. What made David confident that it was time to bring the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem?

5. What can we learn from David blessing the people and then going to bless his household? Why is it important to bless our families?

6. What new insight did you gain from this blog? How do you respond to this new insight? How will you realign your life based on this new understanding?

Bonus Question: What is the significance of God breaking out against Uzzah at the threshing floor of Nachon?

© 2019 Moed Ministries International. All rights reserved.

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[i] The Stone Edition Chumash. Rabbi Nosson Scherman and Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz. ArtScroll Series. Mesorah Pulblications, ltd. ©1998, 2000. Page1169.

[ii] Torah Club Volume Three: The Haftarah. Boaz Michael. First Fruits of Zion. ©1999. P. 437.

[iii] Torah Club Volume Three: The Haftarah. Boaz Michael. First Fruits of Zion. ©1999. P. 439.

Oh, That They Had Such a Heart That They Would Fear Me!

By Dan & Brenda Cathcart

The video version of this teaching is at: https://youtu.be/wBqQyDgnPic

The scripture reading for this teaching is: Jeremiah 7:21-8:3, 9:23-24

Our Haftarah reading this week is perhaps one of the saddest passages in all of scripture.  The prophet Jeremiah is delivering a sharp rebuke from God to the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.  The people had gone far astray into idolatry and adopted the worship practices of their neighbors. They had forsaken the covenant that God had made with them and rejected the prophets that God had sent to them.

Jeremiah 7:21-24 NKJV 21 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices and eat meat. 22 "For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices. 23 "But this is what I commanded them, saying, 'Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.' 24 "Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed the counsels and the dictates of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward.

They had perverted the sacrificial system and at best were just going through the motions in their offerings and sacrifices to God. They may have been doing what was commanded and bringing the proper sacrifices, but were they doing it for the right reason?  Were the offerings coming from their heart in love for God?

The Torah portion for this week is from Leviticus 6:1-8:36 and largely deals with the regulations surrounding the sacrificial system and starts out with the sin offering. The people that Jeremiah addresses in this Haftarah were sinning in virtually everything they were doing! The words of Jeremiah to the people of Judah and Jerusalem in indicate that the people were bringing the sacrifices as commanded, but without sincerity. That is their heart wasn’t in it.

The Hebrew word used in this passage for burnt offering is Olah, #5930 meaning ascent.  It is from a root word meaning to go up. Their offerings and sacrifices were to go up to God. But by just going through the motions of the sacrifice, it is clear that they had no interest in what it meant for their offerings to go up to God. And their actions showed they had no interest in keeping the covenant that God made with them. God subsequently rejects such offerings.

This was a continuing theme throughout the history of the nation of Israel, not just in Jeremiah’s day.  God sent his prophets to admonish the people and remind them of their covenant relationship with God. And being a prophet was not an enviable office to find one’s self.

Jeremiah 7:25-27 NKJV 25 "Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have even sent to you all My servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them. 26 "Yet they did not obey Me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers. 27 "Therefore you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not obey you. You shall also call to them, but they will not answer you.

As we further explore the words of Jeremiah in this Haftarah, I am struck with the thought that many of the people encountered by Yeshua and the apostles in their time faced the very same issues. The Temple worship practices were supposed to be about life, yet many of the Scribes and Pharisees of Yeshua’s day had turned Temple worship into a practice of lifeless ritual.

Jeremiah goes on to pronounce a condemnation of their attitudes and lifeless practice.

Jeremiah 7:28-31 NKJV 28 "So you shall say to them, 'This is a nation that does not obey the voice of the LORD their God nor receive correction. Truth has perished and has been cut off from their mouth. 29 'Cut off your hair and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on the desolate heights; for the LORD has rejected and forsaken the generation of His wrath.'

Jeremiah is making some serious and important comments on the sacrifices.  The sacrifices were central to the worship of God. But many times Jeremiah’s words here and those of other prophets are misunderstood.  Many modern-day teachers assume that God, speaking through these prophets, is saying that He does not want their sacrifices. But these prophets would have been the first ones to advocate for bringing the sacrifices because they were a central part of the Torah. What is it exactly that God wants from His people? This is a question that they could easily answer.  They had the words of Moses.

Deuteronomy 5:29 NKJV 29 'Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!

Jeremiah identifies that the people were not just treating God with indifference, they were in complete rebellion against God! Jeremiah identifies four areas where this rebellion is manifest in them. First is in their heart. Their hearts were deceitful and corrupt.  They had not allowed God to give them a new heart.

In the Hebrew culture and context, the heart is the central part of the real person. Because of the sin nature, inherited from Adam, sin and rebellion is the natural state.  Paul wrote about this in Romans:

Romans 7:15-18 NKJV 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.

Paul is saying that the entire makeup of a person is changed by the changed condition of their heart when it is turned to God.

2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

In his letter to the Colossians, Paul identifies a different kind of circumcision which is a sign of a changed heart.

Colossians 2:11 NKJV 11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,

The people who Jeremiah addressed did not repent and turn their hearts to God. Had they done so, the nation would have been spared the judgment and the people would have carried out the moral and ethical teachings of the Torah!

The next part of the body that Jeremiah alludes to is the feet in verse 24 where he says:

Jeremiah 7:24 NKJV 24 "Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed the counsels and the dictates of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward.

The people were “walking” in their own council.  This also is what Paul spoke of in Romans. They were following their own evil desires found in their hearts. In this verse Jeremiah says that they walked backward and not forward. Physically walking backward is not normal.  But Jeremiah was speaking of a spiritual backwardness. We are not made to travel in that manner either.  When we don’t travel with God and walk in His righteousness, our lives are not normal.  All one has to do, is look at the society around us today! Every where we look, life is backward!

Rabbi J.H. Hertz in his commentary on this Haftarah captures the essence of this idiom:

“…to desert the path of faithfulness and righteousness, no matter under what new or attractive name, is always to go backward.”[i]

In the same verse 24 of our reading, Jeremiah also refers to their ears or their hearing. This brings to mind the Hebraic concept of hearing God as expressed in the word “Shema”, Number 8085 in the Strong’s Hebrew lexicon, meaning to hear intelligently with attention and obedience. Shema implies much more than simple physical listening.  It is a deep understanding that is manifested in obedience. The people of Jeremiah’s day were not listening to God but were obedient to the desires of their own hearts.

In addition to illustrations involving their feet, ears, and their hearts, Jeremiah also mentioned them being stubborn or stiff-necked and they did not speak the will of God.  God’s words were not on their lips.

The people of Jeremiah’s day were walking examples of what it means to be totally depraved.  Every part and every aspect of them was affected by their sin.  In this Haftarah, we see Israel as an illustration of how sin affects humans. Not everyone in Israel was unrighteous.  There are plenty of examples of righteous Israelites living among the most depraved and backward times in the nation’s history. But the rejection of God and His covenant naturally leads to idolatry.

Jeremiah 7:30-31 NKJV 30 "For the children of Judah have done evil in My sight," says the LORD. "They have set their abominations in the house which is called by My name, to pollute it. 31 "And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into My heart.

The people not only rejected God, but they defiled His house!  They setup abominations in the House of God! Jeremiah goes on to give them a stern warning.

Jeremiah 7:32-34 NKJV 32 "Therefore behold, the days are coming," says the LORD, "when it will no more be called Tophet, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter; for they will bury in Tophet until there is no room. 33 "The corpses of this people will be food for the birds of the heaven and for the beasts of the earth. And no one will frighten them away.

Even through this severe judgment and destruction, the people may not have turned back to God. Jeremiah continues with another description of their idolatry.

Jeremiah 8:1-3 NKJV 1 "At that time," says the LORD, "they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of its princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves. 2 "They shall spread them before the sun and the moon and all the host of heaven, which they have loved and which they have served and after which they have walked, which they have sought and which they have worshiped. They shall not be gathered nor buried; they shall be like refuse on the face of the earth. 3 "Then death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of those who remain of this evil family, who remain in all the places where I have driven them," says the LORD of hosts.

It seems that even in this massive devastation, the people still rejected God and engaged in worshiping their idols! God had chosen the Children of Israel, the seed of Abraham, to be His chosen people.  God had given them the Torah and a special revelation of who He is, His very presence was with them, at Sinai, in the Tabernacle, and in the Temple.  God had made a covenant with them, not only for their salvation but for the salvation of all of the peoples of the world! They turned their backs of Him time and again! The apostle Paul also speaks of this level of spiritual depravity in this letter to the Romans.

Romans 1:18-20 NKJV 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,

Paul is saying that the creation itself reveals the living God of the universe! And people are without excuse because of this revelation. Jeremiah and the apostle Paul are on the same page here. Both speak of a people who reject the revelation of God, letting their own sin rule their lives. They replace the true God with one of their own design. Much like we spoke of in last week’s teaching where a man carves his own god from a piece of wood that he also used for cooking and heat, then bows down to it.

Death is the ultimate consequence for the people whom Jeremiah addressed. In verse 32 of our Haftarah reading, Jeremiah mentions two places that we should take a closer look at.  The first is Topheth. This is apparently a place within the Hinnom Valley where idol worship took place, specifically the sacrifice of children to Molech.

2 Kings 23:10 NKJV 10 …Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter pass through the fire to Molech.

The second place is the Hinnom Valley itself. It is to the West and South of Jerusalem in the time of Jeremiah and runs together with the Kidron Valley on the South end of the City of David. The Hinnom Valley had been associated with idol worship for a long time.

2 Chronicles 28:3 NKJV 3 He (King Ahaz) burned incense in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and burned his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.

The prophet Jeremiah speaks perhaps the saddest words to be found in the Bible in verse 34

Jeremiah 7:34 NKJV 34 "Then I will cause to cease from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride. For the land shall be desolate.

Not only will the entire land be left desolate, but the streets of Jerusalem, the city of God’s name will be desolate of joy and life! Jeremiah uses the imagery of a wedding feast to contrast the kind of sadness that will envelope the city at that time.

The rabbis who originally formulated and codified the Haftarahs, understood that it would not be wise to end the reading without the promise of restoration and consolation. To finish off, the reading skips ahead.

Jeremiah 9:23-24 NKJV 23 Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; 24 But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the LORD.

The people who Jeremiah addressed in this Haftarah were trusting in their own ways. It clearly demonstrates that they were serving themselves and not God. This misplaced trust got them into serious trouble. We certainly see these same patterns in our world today. Not only does much of our society today reject God, they don’t even pretend to follow His ways as did the people of Jeremiah’s day in going through the motions with their sacrifices and offerings. In many circles the mere mention of God will be met with open hostility.  And beyond that there is confusion of identity.

Jeremiah says that we are to understand and know God. We can only accomplish this true knowledge by allowing God to implant it on our hearts. This is a knowledge that only comes from a deep and abiding personal and covenantal relationship with the creator.  It is through His grace and loving kindness that we receive the gift of life.  Again, I am reminded of the words of Paul, this time in his letter to the Ephesians.

Ephesians 2:8-10 NKJV 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

The message from both Jeremiah and from Paul is clear. The people of Jeremiah’s day and those of Paul’s day were sinners and needed a fundamental change in their lives in order for them to achieve the righteousness that God had intended for them to live out. Through Messiah Yeshua, we can live with a changed heart, we can walk in His ways, see our fellow man through God’s eyes and we can speak boldly of His righteousness and His kingdom.

Study Questions:

1. Discuss the connection of this teaching to the Torah Portion Tzav, Leviticus 6:1-8:36.

2. Discuss the similarities, as well as the differences of situation in this Haftarah reading with other times in Israel’s history where the people disobeyed and turned to idolatry.

3. Jeremiah 7:29 at first reading may seem oddly out of place in Jeremiah’s admonition of the people.  How should the people have understood this verse?  What does it mean to “Cut off your hair and cast it away?”

4. Jeremiah describes a devastation and destruction of Jerusalem in this Haftarah.  How does this description compare with other prophets?  How does it apply to prophesy yet to be fulfilled?

5. In what were the people boasting in this Haftarah?  How does this relate to Paul’s teaching about boasting?

6. What new insight did you gain from this teaching? How do you respond to this new insight? How will you realign your life based on this new understanding?

Extra Credit:  In the Ephesians 2:8-10 quoted at the end of this teaching, what specifically was Paul referring to by the “good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them?”

© 2019 Moed Ministries International. All Rights Reserved.

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[i] Rabbi J.H. Hertz, The Pentateuch and the Haftarah, p. 439.

They Shall Declare My Praise

By Dan And Brenda Cathcart

The Video version of this teaching is available at: https://youtu.be/_iku8Hzygto

The scripture reading is: Isaiah 43:21-44:23

One of mankind’s perpetual quests is to answer the question of “What is my purpose in life?” Mankind wants to know that who they are and what they do have significance and meaning. This haftarah reading, Isaiah 43:21 through 44:23, answers these questions from the perspective of our creator. The passage begins with the declaration that God formed the people of Israel and that their purpose is to declare His praise.

Isaiah 43:21 NKJV 21 This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise.

God says that, specifically, the nation of Israel, more generally, His chosen people, and by extension, all of mankind were formed for and by God. Our purpose is to declare God’s praises. This sounds like God wants us to be like robots predictably and on command shouting out praises. Can you imagine making and programming a robot to tell you how wonderful you are whenever you push a button? While this might be kind of cute and somewhat gratifying at first, the words themselves would be empty and without meaning. Alternatively, God could take the route of some of our more infamous dictators who demanded allegiance and praise which their subjects give out of fear of torture and death.

But, God doesn’t want either of these methods of praise. So, what kind of praise does God want? What are we to give Him praise for? How can we declare His praises if we haven’t called on Him and experienced His answers?

This passage of scripture is paired with the Torah portion Vayikra, Leviticus 1:1 through 6:7. The Torah portion opens with God’s invitation to draw near to Him and instructions on how to do so.

Leviticus 1:1-2 NKJV 1 Now the LORD called to Moses, and spoke to him from the tabernacle of meeting, saying, 2 "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'When any one of you brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of the livestock-of the herd and of the flock.

When God spoke these words, the Tabernacle had just been set up and God’s glory had entered and filled the tabernacle. The word tabernacle is “mishkan,” number 4908 in Strong’s Concordance meaning a residence or dwelling place. The tent of meeting was erected over the tabernacle.

Exodus 40:1-2 NKJV 1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 "On the first day of the first month you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.

God had taken up residence in His dwelling place which included a large courtyard for meeting with His people. Now, He was ready and eager to receive visits from His people!

Exodus 29:45-46 NKJV 45 "I will dwell among the children of Israel and will be their God. 46 "And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.

God wants His people to come to Him and get to know Him. He wants His people to spend time with Him! Isaiah reminded Jacob, the children of Israel, of this purpose and desire of God. However, they haven’t called on God!

Isaiah 43:22-24 NKJV 22 "But you have not called upon Me, O Jacob; And you have been weary of Me, O Israel. 23 You have not brought Me the sheep for your burnt offerings, Nor have you honored Me with your sacrifices. I have not caused you to serve with grain offerings, Nor wearied you with incense. 24 You have bought Me no sweet cane with money, Nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices; But you have burdened Me with your sins, You have wearied Me with your iniquities.

God uses the word “weary” three times in these verses. The word “weary” is “yaga,” number 3021 in Strong’s Concordance meaning to gasp, to be exhausted, to tire from toil, exertion or exhaustion. First Fruits of Zion in Torah Club Volume three explains:

To Israel God was like one who was causing them to labor and be heavily laden so that they were like slaves who became tired and exhausted of their cruel master. That is why Isaiah says that they did not call upon Him, meaning to seek out the Lord as one seeks out his friend.[i]

God’s request that Israel bring their offerings and draw near to Him in His dwelling place was neither burdensome, nor such as to cause toil and exhaustion! Far from God wearying Israel, Israel had wearied God with their iniquities and burdened Him with their sins! The word “burden,” is “abad,” number 5647, meaning to work, serve, be enslaved or kept in bondage. The bondage of Israel’s sins had fallen as a heavy weight on God! The prophet Amos describes the burden as an overloaded cart.

Amos 2:13 NKJV 13 "Behold, I am weighed down by you, As a cart full of sheaves is weighed down.

Instead of bringing offerings in holiness which would be a sweet aroma to God, they brought the stench of their sins. Instead of bringing the sin offering which would lift the burden of sin, they brought their sins. They withheld the offering of the sweet cane used in the making of the anointing oil as described in Exodus 30:23.

God’s people had turned their backs on Him and surely God would be justified in turning His back on them. But, that’s not what God did or does. God said He would take the burden of sin they had loaded Him down with and blot out the sins!

Isaiah 43:25 NKJV 25 "I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.

God continues as if Israel had argued that they had no need for God to blot out their sins; as if they had not sinned against God. God states His decision that they are guilty.

Isaiah 43:26-28 NKJV 26 Put Me in remembrance; Let us contend together; State your case, that you may be acquitted. 27 Your first father sinned, And your mediators have transgressed against Me. 28 Therefore I will profane the princes of the sanctuary; I will give Jacob to the curse, And Israel to reproaches.

God stated that even their first father sinned. Although this could be referring to Adam, it is more likely that it is referring to Abraham, the father of Israel and to whom the promise of Israel was given. God refers to Abraham as the father of Israel that they are to look to as a model of righteousness.

Isaiah 51:1-2 NKJV 1 "Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, You who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. 2 Look to Abraham your father, And to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone, And blessed him and increased him."

If even Abraham, to whom they are to look, was guilty of sin, how much more are they guilty?  Further, the children of Israel tended to use their connection to Abraham to justify their actions and claim they have no need for forgiveness of their sins. John the Baptist rebuked the self-righteous religious leaders of his day.

Matthew 3:7-9 NKJV 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 "and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.

God continued to declare His judgment through Isaiah condemning their mediators as not just sinners but as transgressors. The Hebrew word translated as “mediators” is “luwts,” number 3887, meaning to make mouths at, to scoff, scorn, mock or, in a negative way, an ambassador or teacher. It is most often translated as a scorner! The Hebrew word for transgressors is “pasha,” number 6586 meaning to break away, trespass or quarrel. The mediators didn’t accidentally or carelessly commit a sin; they willfully and deliberately broke away from God’s commandments and rebelled against Him. Who were these mediators? We are told in the next verse that they are the “princes of the sanctuary.” These are the priests and Levites whose duty it was to teach the commandments of God to the people! God declared that these leaders were guilty and would receive the curse as decreed by their covenant agreement with God when He took them for His own people! They and all Israel would be driven from the Promised Land and be a reproach among the nations.

Jeremiah 24:9 NKJV 9 'I will deliver them to trouble into all the kingdoms of the earth, for their harm, to be a reproach and a byword, a taunt and a curse, in all places where I shall drive them.

Yet, even though Israel refused to call on God, refused to bring their offerings to Him, and God’s chosen priests mocked Him bringing the curse on all of Israel, God still reiterates that they are His chosen people.

Isaiah 44:1-2 NKJV 1 "Yet hear now, O Jacob My servant, And Israel whom I have chosen. 2 Thus says the LORD who made you And formed you from the womb, who will help you: 'Fear not, O Jacob My servant; And you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.

Despite the judgment coming on Jacob, God tells Jacob to hear Him and to not be afraid. God would not abandon His chosen people; they are His children whom God formed in the womb! He is still their helper. Finally, He calls them Jeshurun meaning upright! The only other use of this name, Jeshurun, for Israel is in the Book of Deuteronomy. It is used in the song of Moses which Moses sang just before the children of Israel enter the land. In Moses’ song, he warns that Israel, Jeshurun, will turn away from God.

Deuteronomy 32:15 NKJV 15 "But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; You grew fat, you grew thick, You are obese! Then he forsook God who made him, And scornfully esteemed the Rock of his salvation.

As Moses blesses the twelve tribes before His death, he refers to God as the King in Jeshurun when Israel was united as one under God.

Deuteronomy 33:5 NKJV 5 And He was King in Jeshurun, When the leaders of the people were gathered, All the tribes of Israel together.

At the time of Isaiah, the children of Israel are certainly not upright, yet there will be a time that God will see them as upright. God goes on to detail the blessing He has in store for them and how they will turn back to Him and claim Him as their God!

Isaiah 44:3-5 NKJV 3 For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring; 4 They will spring up among the grass Like willows by the watercourses.' 5 One will say, 'I am the LORD'S'; Another will call himself by the name of Jacob; Another will write with his hand, 'The LORD'S,' And name himself by the name of Israel.

But, how was this to happen? At the time of Isaiah, Jacob had wearied God with their sins, weighing God down as if He were their servant! What could make Jacob become Jeshurun or upright? Just like God was their first deliverer, redeeming them from slavery in Egypt to take them as His people, He would also be their last deliverer redeeming them from their sins.

Isaiah 44:6 NKJV 6 "Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: 'I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God.

Israel laid the burden of their sins and iniquities on God and only God can lift that burden. Only God can carry their sins away.

Isaiah 53:10-11 NKJV 10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. 11 He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities.

The iniquity that the children of Israel laid on God, God in turn laid it on His son, the only one who could carry it! If anyone questions God’s authority to be their redeemer, He declares that He is the only Rock.

Isaiah 44:7-8 NKJV 7 And who can proclaim as I do? Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me, Since I appointed the ancient people. And the things that are coming and shall come, Let them show these to them. 8 Do not fear, nor be afraid; Have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.'"

The use of the name Rock for God goes back to the end of the forty years in the wilderness and the Song of Moses. Moses refers to God as the Rock five times in his song. We saw one reference to God as the Rock of their salvation in connection with Jeshurun. God’s choice to remind the children of Israel of both Jeshurun and His name as the Rock would remind them of how He brought them out of Egypt and brought them into the Promised Land.

Once again, in this passage in Isaiah, it is as if God hears the objections of the people. It is as if Jacob argues that they can all on the other gods they have been sacrificing to, and those gods can deliver them. God rebukes them for their foolishness!

Isaiah 44:9 NKJV 9 Those who make an image, all of them are useless, And their precious things shall not profit; They are their own witnesses; They neither see nor know, that they may be ashamed.

This satirical diatribe against idols and their human makers continues through verse twenty of chapter forty-four. Isaiah employs word play and the Hebrew poetical form to drive his point home. He includes a section in which he describes the process of making an idol starting with cutting down the tree to get the wood. A man burns some of that wood in a hearth to bake bread, some is burned to provide warmth, and then, the man uses rest of the wood to carve his own god. Isaiah comments on this absurdity.

Isaiah 44:19-20 NKJV 19 And no one considers in his heart, Nor is there knowledge nor understanding to say, "I have burned half of it in the fire, Yes, I have also baked bread on its coals; I have roasted meat and eaten it; And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?" 20 He feeds on ashes; A deceived heart has turned him aside; And he cannot deliver his soul, Nor say, "Is there not a lie in my right hand?"

Man cannot deliver himself. Neither can he carve a god from wood and use it to deliver him. The word “deliver” in this verse is “Natzal,” number 5337 meaning to snatch away, deliver, rescue, or preserve. The word “soul” is “nephesh,” number 5315 meaning a breathing creature, figuratively the soul. Man has no power to snatch away or rescue his own essence, the breath of his life.

After this pronouncement, God calls on Jacob once more to remember where their deliverance does come from! God alone is their redeemer!

Isaiah 44:21-22 NKJV 21 "Remember these, O Jacob, And Israel, for you are My servant; I have formed you, you are My servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me! 22 I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, And like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you."

God said that their sins and transgressions had already been blotted out! All they had to do was to return to Him! But they were unwilling to return to God. However, God had then and has now redeemed them. The promise of redemption is still available to all who would return to God their redeemer, to all who would call on His name. At the dedication of the temple, Solomon asked God to always have His eyes on the temple and to be ready to forgive His people. God accepted Solomon’s request and confirmed it during His second appearance to Solomon.

2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV 14 "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

However, God’s presence left the temple of God and the temple was eventually destroyed. Then God sent His son to dwell with man in a human body to bring the redemption that He had promised was theirs.

John 1:14 NKJV 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Paul explains that God accomplished the redemption of His people when Yeshua died for us.

Romans 5:8-11 NKJV 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

God desires our praises for the mercy He extended to us through the death of Yeshua who carried away our sins. He desires our praises for the promise of eternal life that we have through Yeshua who rose from the dead. He desires our praises for who He is, the eternal God of all creation!

Isaiah 43:10-11 NKJV 10 "You are My witnesses," says the LORD, "And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me. 11 I, even I, am the LORD, And besides Me there is no savior.

God desires the willing praises of His people. He wants us to draw near to Him and experience the richness of fellowship with Him. He is truly worthy of all our praises! His desire has always been and will always be to dwell among and within His people!

Study Questions:

1. Discuss the connection of this teaching to the Torah Portion Vayikra, Leviticus 1:1-6:7.

2. This passage begins with the declaration that God formed Israel for Himself and that they shall proclaim His praise. What are we to praise Him for? Consider the verses in chapter 43 leading up to this verse in your answer as well as other scripture. How does this apply to us as believers?

3. Compare God’s use of the word “weary” in Isaiah 43:22-24 with Yeshua’s use of the word “weary” in Matthew 11:28-30. How does sin weary us? How does it weary God? How does this connect with Isaiah 53?

4. One of God’s indictments against Jacob is that he didn’t call on Him. What are some of the places and situations in Psalms that refer to calling on God?  Paul writes about the inability of people to call on God in Romans 10:14. What action is Paul urging believers to do about that? 

5. Whom does God have in mind in Isaiah 44:5? How is this supported elsewhere in Isaiah’s prophecies?

6. What new insight did you gain from this teaching? How do you respond to this new insight? How will you realign your life based on this new understanding?

© 2019 Moed Ministries International. All rights reserved.

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[i] First Fruits of Zion Torah Club; Messianic Commentary on the Parashot HaShavuah, Volume Three – The Hartarah. Boaz Michael. ©1999. P396.