John the Baptist was when God showed Grace after a period of silence for 200 years

 

The birth of John the Baptist marked the Church Age, when God showed grace after a period of silence for 200 years. 

        What do I mean by this? This insight comes from the Hebrew name of John, יוֹחָנָן (translated into koine Greek as Ἰωάννης) which means, 

"He (God) shows grace." 

        The root word is the verb חָנַן (refer to Genesis 33:5) which means:  

        חָנַ֥ן  (חנן) חנן־1 Verb qal perfect 3 masculine singular meaning 'to show favor' 

        [ESVS]  H2603  given  

        

        After bringing the nation back from the exile, God was disappointed with the people; ֶHe sent one prophet after another, but the people of Israel did not heed the words of the Prophet.

        Hence, we have a period of silence for the next 200 years.

        Just before Christ was born, John the Baptist was born. It was the angel Gabriel who announced the name to Zechariah. 

        The name was the beginning of a new era where God would show His grace towards mankind. The body of Christ is the bearer of the good news of God's grace. Let us share this with all our loved ones. 

SIL Hebrew Keyboard is highly recommended!

 

        I have always loved SIL keyboard since I installed the software on my laptop. However, for two years, I could not find anything similar to SIL keyboard on iPhone. 

        Thank God, it is now possible to install the SIL keyboard. This is how you do it:

1) Go to App Store on iPhone or Play Store on Android phones. Look for Keyman. Install Keyman on your laptop. Once you get this screen, click on (1) and (2) 

After downloading, if you click on Keyman app, you will see this screen. This is like a simple Word file for you to type anything in a language that you choose. Click on the three dots on the top right corner. You will see "SETTINGS." Click SETTINGS followed by INSTALLED LANGUAGES. You can then choose what language you are looking for. For Hebrew, look for ANCIENT HEBREW. For Greek, I suggest ANCIENT GREEK (to 1453). 

Once you have installed the languages, click on the globe icon just next to the space bar. Choose the language that you want to use to type. 

 

2) Once you have installed Keyman on your phone, and now you want the keyboard to be used for other apps, you need to go to the SETTINGS on your mobile phone. In the case of iPhone, it will appear like this after I clicked on SETTINGS. 

3) Next, I click on GENERAL. This will give me this page: 

4) Choose and click KEYBOARD. This screen will appear. Click on the word KEYBOARDS. 

5) You will see that I have installed a few keyboards in the past. I have just added KEYMAN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES.  Just click it to install. 

After that, you should be able to type Hebrew or Greek on Signal, Whatsapp or any other app that you have. 

I hope the above helps. As I managed to install the keyboard after some trials and errors, I may not remember every step. Try to play around with the app to learn how to use it.  

Come, join us to learn how to Learn and Teach Hebrew with Aleph and Beth!

In case you missed this today, here is the video for you to watch. Andrew and Bethany Case from Mexico shares the pedagogy behind their teaching of Hebrew. 

If you are interested to follow the series, join this chat group. https://chat.whatsapp.com/ItUm9xzMYoLAX5OJcsROUj  

Please memorise this song. We may sing this together with Andrew. 

IT'S NOT DE-GREECING BUT LEARNING MORE HEBREW & GREEK

 

Do we now tear down every Greek portico in our modern buildings just because they are part of Greek architecture? Did Jesus or Paul ever advocate that? 

Sometimes, proponents of the Hebraic Roots Movement have gone a bit too far as to claim that God wants us to learn Hebrew instead of Greek. 

        While I promote the learning of the biblical languages so that we can read the text in its original languages, to downplay the Greek New Testament for a Hebrew New Testament is simply inappropriate.

        There are also claims that David Pawson once taught about "de-Greecing" the modern church. However, after listening to the audio recording, I can only conclude that Pawson was not even recommending that we drop the Greek New Testament, or totally disregard anything that appears to be Greek, but he has been quoted out of context to support one's disposition towards the Hebraic roots movement. 

        Dawson was merely talking about some of the influences from Greek philosophy, cultures and architecture that were clearly contradictory to the scriptures (cf Col 2:8), just as Peter had to be "detoxified" of his Jewishness before the gospel could reach the Gentiles (cf Acts 10:9-17). 

        Pawson, in no way, was playing down the New Testament in Greek nor was he talking of the superiority of the Hebrew language. In fact, for most part of his ministry, he would have to speak in koine Greek -- the lingua franca of the day -- to communicate his message to the Gentile world.

        Just as we need to understand the Hebrew language and culture to interpret the Hebrew scriptures, we need to understand the Greek language and culture to exegete the New Testament. This is my stand.  

        It is important that we understand that:

        (a) the original Old Testament was written in Hebrew and only certain portions of it were written in Aramaic. This is the reason why we learn biblical Hebrew instead of modern Hebrew. 

        The Hebrew used during the times of the prophets and the kings of Israel was different from the modern Hebrew that you will experience in Israel today. A young Jewish friend of mine laughed when he heard that I was learning biblical Hebrew, "Why are you learning biblical Hebrew? If you come to Israel and you speak in biblical Hebrew, no one would understand you!"

        In short, someone would be laughed at if he were to speak Shakespearean English in the wet market in 2021! 

        (b) the original New Testament was written in koine (common) Greek. Compared to what is claimed to be the 'original' Hebrew manuscript of the New Testament, we have thousands of Greek manuscripts. There are no major manuscripts in Hebrew (even if there are, there were probably only one or two copies), whose claims as the 'original' Hebrew text of the New Testament has been disputed.

        There are, however, what we have today a present day translation of the New Testament into modern Hebrew. Like any other translations, it is merely a translation, and should be treated only as a translation. Nothing else! 

        So, this should raise a red flag, when someone comes to you claiming that he or she has found some new and hidden nuances about a doctrine which has come across more strongly than the Greek New Testament, and if it goes against the basic doctrines of Scriptures (for example, the trinity of God, the incarnation of Christ, His death and His resurrection), it is best that you take it with a pinch of salt. 

        (c) When the Hebrew Old Testament was first translated into the lingua franca of the day, it was translated into Greek by a group of 70 Jewish scholars in the third century BC; hence, we have our Septuagint Greek Old Testament, or LXX (the Roman numeral for 70) in short.

        Allow me to further elaborate:

        (a) As Greek was the lingua franca of the day, the Jewish scholars had no problem translating the Hebrew Old Testament into Greek. They did not even preserve the Tetragrammaton, holy as we may think it is; instead, they used the title in the Greek language (κυριος). If God had placed so much emphasis on His Name in its Hebraic form, would He not have the Septuagint transliterated Yehovah into Greek? 

        Therefore, never assume that God's Name must always be written as YHVH, Yahweh or Jehovah. Or, Jesus' name Yehsua. I have seen people littering some Hebrew names amidst a text written in English, which makes the entire text look distasteful. Read this blog post regarding the Name used in the Old Testament Hebrew text.

        Dr Bill Barrick in his lecture (watch from time 15:00 min - 30:00 min) explained very well about the Name Jehovah. He explains how although he prefers the name Yahweh, the Name Jehovah was formed using the vowels in Adonai to the tetragrammaton. I agree with him on this.

        Likewise, when the scholars translated into the Greek Septuagint, they did not see they needed to preserve the name of the trumpet made from ram's horn. Instead of using a Greek transliteration of the word שׁוֹפָר (transliterated as shofar), they used the Greek equivalent, σάλπιγγος. Look at all three texts:

        A lot of things have been stretched too far by proponents of the Hebraic movement. Some do it to sell their paraphernalia, others do that sincerely as they believe it is a new revelation from God. As far as God is concerned, there is no new revelation except what is already written in the Scriptures. 

        Therefore, we have to be careful what we teach. 

Good Question, Nehemia Gordon!

 

During one of the sessions on the book of Hebrews by Dr David Allen on Oct 24, 2021, someone by the name of N. Gordon posed a question about Psalm 110: 1:

”לְדָוִ֗ד מִ֫זְמ֥וֹר נְאֻ֤ם יְהוָ֨ה ׀ לַֽאדֹנִ֗י שֵׁ֥ב לִֽימִינִ֑י עַד־אָשִׁ֥ית אֹ֝יְבֶ֗יךָ הֲדֹ֣ם לְרַגְלֶֽיךָ׃“

(Psalm 110:1 HMT-W4)

https://accordance.bible/link/read/HMT-W4#Psa._110:1

        I would like to take some time to respond to Nehemia's question, which I believe that Dr Allen had done succinctly albeit the little leftover time he had. 

        Firstly, let me say that this is nothing but a superscription added to the Masoretic Text to provide some background to the psalms. 

        Secondly, as suggested by Nehemia, the literal translation of the words in Hebrew לְדָוִ֗ד מִ֫זְמ֥וֹר is 'a psalm to David'. However, this is only half correct. 

        Well, the preposition לְ means 'to'  or 'for'. But, is Nehemia's translation necessarily correct and the translation into the English Bibles 'A psalm of David' therefore erroneous?

        If we look at other psalms, we see the use of the preposition to suggest that it is not necessarily to be literally translated as 'to David' or 'for David.'  

1) Look at a few other psalms: 

        There are, in fact, 117 out of 150 psalms that carry some form of superscriptions in the Masoretic Text. I will not dwell into all the psalms or provide the statistics as this is not the focus of my blog:

        In Psalm 55:1, we have:  מַשְׂכִּ֥יל לְדָוִֽד. This same phrase also appears in Psa 53:1 and elsewhere.

        Psalm 3:1מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִ֑ד is even clearer. If you look at the superscription, it says in Hebrew:

 מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִ֑ד בְּ֝בָרְח֗וֹ מִפְּנֵ֤י ׀ אַבְשָׁל֬וֹם בְּנֽוֹ׃

 New American Standard Bible renders it as "A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son."

        While the literal translation would have been 'A psalm to David,' as suggested by Nehemia; however, it would not make sense if someone had written this psalm to David, and he refers to David as 'אָדֹנִ֗י' (my lord). Why?

        This leads to my second point. In this instance, the superscription is clear that it refers to David in the third person as in the two words used בְּ֝בָרְח֗וֹ and   בְּנֽוֹ (he fled from the presence of Absalom, his son). 

        Read carefully as this clearly shows that the one who wrote the superscription could not have been the same person who wrote Psalm 110 `to/for David'. 'Get it? 

        It makes no sense for us to assume that the psalmist is someone else (perhaps, his transcriber) other than David, who refers to David as 'my lord'. 

        "The LORD says to my Lord: 
“Sit at My right hand 
Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” (Psalm 110:1) 

        Read on, and you will get the whole picture. 

2) The preposition  לְ does not only imply 'to':

        Hence, to suggest that Psalm 110:1 should be literally translated as a 'Psalm to David' may not be exactly that accurate. 

        In fact, Robert Alter, a Jewish scholar and Bible translator himself, rendered Psalm 3:1 as 'A David psalm.' This is because, as he explains:

"The traditional rendering is "a psalm of David," which tends to imply authorship. (Read on, Nehemia) The Hebrew preposition  is ambiguous (emphasis, mine). It could mean "of" or "by"; it often means "belonging to"; another common meaning is "for" or it might refer to something as loose as "in the manner of." The choice of translation is intended to preserve these ambiguous possibilities." (1) 

        Just to add to the fun, look at Psalm 56:3b, 

כִּֽי־רַבִּ֨ים לֹחֲמִ֖ים לִ֣י מָרֽוֹם׃

         How would you translate the preposition in the word לִ֣י? In this instance, the English is a richer language than Hebrew because in English, you have different prepositions which are more specific, 'for', 'to', 'against', 'by' and 'of.' 

        Put simply, because Hebrew is more of a pictorial language, when you say לִ֣י, you automatically point to yourself. And, depending on the context, it simply cannot be translated as, 'fighting for me' or 'fighting to me.'  

        In this instance, the NASB translates it correctly as: "For they are many who fight proudly against me." (Psalm 56:3b). 

        My conclusion: when you see the preposition in this usage לִ֣י in Hebrew, you have to look at the context, not simply translate it as 'to' (or even 'for') as suggested by Nehemia in his example of Psalm 103:1.  

        Alter is not a Messianic Jew who believes in Jesus, and even he prefers to render the translation as 'A David psalm' rather than literally 'A psalm to David.' 

        So, Nehemia, I have one brownie point, you just lost it to me. Wink Wink.

3)  My suggestions: 

        There are several possibilities how the translation can be rendered to the phrase לְדָוִ֗ד מִ֫זְמ֥וֹר:

        (a) A psalm according to David 

        (b) A psalm attributed to David 

        (c) A psalm belonging to David

        (d) A Davidic psalm 

        Or, as Alter puts it, "A David psalm." 

        So, what's wrong with the English translation, "A psalm of David"? 

4) Who is then the psalmist referring to?

        If David is the author of Psalm 110, it is obvious when he wrote, לַֽאדֹנִ֗י, David could not have referred to himself as 'my lord.'  He would have referred to someone else far more superior than him, as his 'lord.'

        Bearing in mind, there is a 51% chance that David the king could have someone transcribing for him, hence, even if the transcriber wrote for him, the psalm is still attributed to David, not the transcriber.

        However, to suggest that the transcriber is of any relevance is to suggest that the ghostwriter can have a voice to the autobiography that he writes for his client. As a ghostwriter myself, everything I write in an autobiography, is not about me but the client himself. He pays me to write on his behalf. So, do you get it now?

        לַֽאדֹנִ֗י therefore, refers to David addressing a third person as 'my lord', not a third-person psalmist referring to David as his 'lord.' 

 5)  שֵׁ֥ב לִֽימִינִ֑י    'sit at my right hand.'

        As pointed out by Allen in the Q&A session, is David still alive today to be seated on God's right hand? Would this be presumptuous to even imagine that David has greater prominence than Moses himself from the Jewish point of view to be invited to sit on God's right hand?

        Please read on verse 4:

 נִשְׁבַּ֤ע יְהוָ֨ה ׀ וְלֹ֥א יִנָּחֵ֗ם אַתָּֽה־כֹהֵ֥ן לְעוֹלָ֑ם עַל־דִּ֝בְרָתִ֗י מַלְכִּי־צֶֽדֶק׃

(In NASB, it says, "The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.””) 

        David is not a priest according to the order of Melchizedek, and never was he referred to as a priest in the entire Tanakh. Ask any orthodox Jew, and you will be scorned if you suggest this to him that David is a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek forever. 

6) Come by simple faith to Christ:

        Here is a sincere invitation to simple faith in Christ. 

        Acknowledge that:

        (a) "All have sinned and come short of the glory of Christ" (Romans 3:23)

        (b) "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23)

        (c) “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died    for us.” (Romans 5:8)

        (d) "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12)

        (e) "knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, 1is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him." (Romans 6:9)

        Simple faith means setting aside all your years of scholarship and after you have understood your real predicament as a man of the flesh, you speak to this Jesus directly acknowledging your sin, believing that He died for you, was raised from the dead, and receive Him as your Savior and Lord.

    

Footnotes:

(1) Alter, Robert. The Hebrew Bible (Vol 3) The Writings. First. Vol. 3. 3 vols. NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2019.

 

Original Text of the New Testament was written in Hebrew?

 

A few years ago, I was told that a Hebrew teacher from India claimed that the New Testament was originally written in Hebrew. 

        Just this week, another gentleman from Singapore made the same claim. In my follow-up discussion with him, he claims that the New Testament was written in Hebrew and Aramaic.

        Allow me to put my response to this in point form:

1) Lingua Franca 

The entire Old Testament was written in Hebrew, with the exception of certain portions in Daniel that were written in Aramaic.

However, well known manuscripts such as Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (which is based on Codex Leningradensis) and Aleppo Codex do not make any attempt to preserve the Aramaic text.

The fact that the Aramaic text is not even preserved in these manuscripts show that even the Jews themselves did not bother to preserve the original Aramaic text.

2) The Septuagint 

The entire Tanakh was translated by 70 scholars from Hebrew to Greek around 3rd Century BC. Why was Greek chosen, instead of Aramaic? 

The answer is obvious: Greek has already become the lingua franca of the day. Koine Greek (or what I call 'marketplace Greek) was already used widely during era of Jesus and the early church. The translation was necessary as Greek was the form of education that even the Jews in disapora were receiving even before Jesus' era. 

This is similar to our English language which is the lingua franca in our 21st century, while Aramaic is similar to our Chinese dialects such as Hokkien or Teo Chew.  

It is obvious that when God wanted to communicate with the nations of the then known world, He would have picked Greek, not Hebrew or Aramaic.

This is common sense that Aramaic was not an important language in those days. There could have been portions of the Bible translated into Aramaic for the specific groups of people, but Greek was still the common language that people could read and understand. 

While Jesus and His disciples may have used Aramaic in their daily conversation, the gospels and the rest of the New Testament were written in the lingua franca of the day: koine Greek.

Meanwhile, Hebrew was confined to only the synagogues and the Temple during Jesus' lifetime. Put it in the modern context, Hebrew is like Arabic to the Muslims.

For that reason, we have many thousands of early Greek manuscripts compared to what some claim to be the 'original' Hebrew or Aramaic New Testament.

While there may be claims that the early church fathers had cited some Hebrew New Testament manuscripts, the truth remains that God did not bother to bring it to the forefront until recent years.

3) Jewish scholar Nehemias Gordon has also dealt with this kind of claim that the New Testament was written in Hebrew. Although he is not a Christian, Gordon has put it clearly that there is no such thing. He spent a few thousand dollars to purchase a manuscript and studied it. Very quickly, he concluded that it was fake.  

4) What about Hebrew New Testament that we have now?

Bible.Is app, for example, has a Modern Hebrew version of 1995.  It has the New Testament translated from Greek into Hebrew.

I use this occasionally but I would not take it as the original text. It is as good a translation as translations into any other languages. If I want to find the original words used in the Old Testament, I would refer to the Hebrew text, but for the New Testament, it would be Greek.  

If I teach Hebrew to a group of believers, I would use the Hebrew Old Testament as the text, but I would treat the New Testament in Hebrew as just another translation.

5) Repeatedly making his false claims.

Before I decided to block this gentleman from Singapore, he kept repeating one or two statements. I do not understand his intention, whether he was trying to print screen something and show people that I believed what he said about the New Testament.  

However, I think this guy has been so conditioned after 17 years in the Hebraic Movement that he no longer could see the truth any more. 

 

 

 

HEBRAIC ROOTS: Making Sense of the Hebraic Roots: A Messianic Jew's Perspectives

Please return to this blogpost for any updates, including the video recording or notes, if any.

This public lecture is hosted by Malaysia Baptist Theological Seminary (MBTS) together with Explain International

    Please register: https://tinyurl.com/hebraic2021

For more information, email silkrgn@gmail.com 

Rev David Zadok 

will be sharing about the Hebraic Roots:

Making Sense of the Hebraic Roots: A Messianic Jew's Perspectives

Date:  Dec 1, 2021 (Wednesday)

Time: 8pm-10pm (Malaysia) (GMT +8)

Use 

http://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/ 

to convert to your local time.

Background:

David Zadok is both the pastor of Grace and Truth congregation and the director of HaGefen Publishing in Israel. He was born in Israel, and grew up in Iran.

David serves on the board of National Pastors and Elders in Israel, as well as Israel College of the Bible and the Church’s Mission to the Jews, and the first Messianic Research Center.

He has been serving in the same church, Grace and Truth for 31 years as an elder, and pastoring it for the last 9 years.

David is married to Esther (Eti) and they have three children, Maayan (24), Hadas (21) and Meidan (16).

Beautiful Psalm 54:1-4

 

Psa. 54:1‏ לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ בִּנְגִינֹ֗ת מַשְׂכִּ֥יל לְדָוִֽד׃

‎Psa. 54:2‏ בְּב֣וֹא הַ֭זִּיפִים וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ לְשָׁא֑וּל הֲלֹ֥א דָ֝וִ֗ד מִסְתַּתֵּ֥ר עִמָּֽנוּ׃

‎Psa. 54:3‏ אֱ֭לֹהִים בְּשִׁמְךָ֣ הוֹשִׁיעֵ֑נִי וּבִגְבוּרָתְךָ֥ תְדִינֵֽנִי׃

‎Psa. 54:4‏ אֱ֭לֹהִים שְׁמַ֣ע תְּפִלָּתִ֑י הַ֝אֲזִ֗ינָה לְאִמְרֵי־פִֽי׃

‎Psa. 54:5‏ כִּ֤י זָרִ֨ים ׀ קָ֤מוּ עָלַ֗י וְֽ֭עָרִיצִים בִּקְשׁ֣וּ נַפְשִׁ֑י לֹ֤א שָׂ֨מוּ אֱלֹהִ֖ים לְנֶגְדָּ֣ם סֶֽלָה׃

‎Psa. 54:6‏ הִנֵּ֣ה אֱ֭לֹהִים עֹזֵ֣ר לִ֑י אֲ֝דֹנָ֗י בְּֽסֹמְכֵ֥י נַפְשִֽׁי׃

‎Psa. 54:7‏ יָשׁוֹב [יָשִׁ֣יב] הָ֭רַע לְשֹׁרְרָ֑י בַּ֝אֲמִתְּךָ֗ הַצְמִיתֵֽם׃

‎Psa. 54:8‏ בִּנְדָבָ֥ה אֶזְבְּחָה־לָּ֑ךְ א֤וֹדֶה שִּׁמְךָ֖ יְהוָ֣ה כִּי־טֽוֹב׃

‎Psa. 54:9‏ כִּ֣י מִכָּל־צָ֭רָה הִצִּילָ֑נִי וּ֝בְאֹיְבַ֗י רָאֲתָ֥ה עֵינִֽי׃

        

        Like Psalm 23, this psalm is short and very meaningful when we are faced with adversity. I believe the way this psalm was written is to help people to reflect over David's personal thoughts when he was betrayed by the Ziphites. In very much the same way, we see this in the lectio divina (Latin: divine reading of the Scriptures). An example is provided here. 

        It begins with the introduction, לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ בִּנְגִינֹ֗ת , which tells us who the psalm is prepared for. It is for the 'chief musician' or some call it 'choir director' and it appears that he was in charge of the players of stringed instruments. 

        The word  מַשְׂכִּ֥יל  is not translated, but I believe this is something like a rendition or an attribute to David. The psalm is therefore an attribute to David (לְדָוִֽד). The context is also given so that people could understand the circumstances involved. 

        If this psalm is written by a third party, it is probably attributed to David. Perhaps, David had shared his own thoughts about that incident and the psalter helped to put it in words. Or, David could have also written it, but the story is based on the narrative we read in 1 Samuel 23 where the Ziphites (זִּיפִים) told King Saul that David (and his men) were hiding in their land. There was an agreement between King Saul and the Ziphites to spy on David's whereabouts, and all his hideouts so that King Saul could pursue him to the last hideout to finish him off. 

        If we understand how lectio divina is written, we will see how Psalm 54 was put together to enable us to experience a closer relationship with God by putting ourselves in David's shoes. Hence, the entire chapter gives us the first person perspective which is different from the third person narrative in 1 Samuel 23. 

        In verses 3 & 4, we see David turning to One and Only One who could save him. He is none other than God (אֱ֭לֹהִים) Himself. Who do we turn to when we are in distress? 

        Four verbs are used in these two verses, which the psalmist linked David and God, 

•         הוֹשִׁיעֵ֑נִי  which means 'save me.' This same root word  ישׁע is how we get two names, Joshua and Jesus. 
•        תְדִינֵֽנִי  means 'vindicate'. The Hebrew root word is דין which is translated as 'judge.' This tells us how David turned to God as the One who could see from Heaven and knew what was on the mind (motive) of Saul. God is the best judge, and David turns to Him for vindication. Bear in mind that the word we see in the word וּבִגְבוּרָתְךָ֥, the root word is גבר which means 'might', 'strength' or 'power.' Just as he did, David once again looked up to God as the One who has the power to save him from King Saul and his army. 
•  שְׁמַ֣ע Here is a word that we have come across time and again. "Hear , O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one!" (see footnote 1) The word is in the Imperative, and this is like David demanding God to hear his cry.          

• הַ֝אֲזִ֗ינָה is a hifil imperative. The English translation 'Give ear' does not bring out the nuances that we see when we understand the Hebrew grammar. Hifil is a 'causative active' and 'imperative' means a strong urging from the person who speaks this word. It is like David telling God, "You have ears, O Lord. Cause Your ears to hear me!" This is a sound of desperation on the part of David.  How often do we call to God with such strong impulsion as David did! He did it to show God that he had no one else to turn to but God alone!

 I will leave the rest of the verses to another day. 

 FOOTNOTES:

1. Deut 6:4 is an imperative given to Israel to listen or hear this declaration that is God and He is only One God. 

”שְׁמַ֖ע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ יְהוָ֥ה ׀ אֶחָֽד׃“

(Deuteronomy 6:4 HMT-W4) 

        

        

        

My Personal Encounter with Jesus in John 5:1-14

This is a Lectio Divina written by a fellow mature student from the seminary that I was in. This is his assignment as a partial fulfilment for a module on Spiritual Formation which he did. I have his permission to share his assignment, in view of my reading of Psalm 54 (see my blog post): 

My Personal Encounter with Jesus in John 5:1-14

By an Anonymous Author

        As usual, today I made my way to whatever available spot was left at the side of the pool of the Sheep Gate, where multitudes of invalids like the lame, blind or paralysed gathered around the pool side. I always seem to be one of the last ones to make it there, because I had met with an accident some 38 years ago, which left my feet mangled. I lost my ability to walk again. Each time, I have to drag myself on the ground just using my bare hands, all calloused and bruised from the much exerted effort to move, with my bed slung behind me. All of us invalids try to be the first to enter the pool when the waters are stirred, as we have seen for ourselves, that the first person who enters the pool is miraculously healed, for some reason or another. Today, it is exceptionally crowded, as there is a feast going on in Jerusalem. So it was very difficult for me to make my way through the crowd. Finally, I find a spot in a corner. I open up my bed to lay on it, facing the pool. It was extra difficult to see the pool water, with the walking crowd constantly blocking my view. The atmosphere was noisy, with shuffling feet, and people talking loudly, to be heard. While I kept intently looking at the pool, I was not hopeful today because of all the obstacles. I was extremely forlorn, dejected, thinking that coming here today was a waste of time.

        Suddenly, I heard a distinct voice, “Hello!” I took my focus from the pool and directed it at this man who was standing over me. He was looking directly at me. Undeniably, that voice and the eye contact stirred my spirit within me. I felt a warmth I had never felt for a long time. No one paid me any attention over the years. Before I could collect myself to respond to him, he shot me a rhetoric question, “Do you want to be healed?” I could have easily answered an emphatic “YES!” but instead I found myself unnecessarily explaining why I couldn’t make in the pool before anyone else. I would have continued, but he interjected with a ridiculous order, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” Immediately, I felt life in my feet and I straightened them, and, with amazement and exuberance, I shouted out, “My feet! My feet! I can feel them!” I could not do this for 38 long years. I stood up and took my ‘baby steps.’ I quickly grabbed my bed to rush home to tell my family, relatives and friends. I felt so tall. I could see far. I was making my way through the crowd with great excitement.

        “Today’s the Sabbath! How dare you carry your bed on the Sabbath!” rang aloud behind me. I turned to see an angry mob with daggered eyes eye-balling me. I panicked, realising they were the ‘holy joes.’ I explained that that man who healed me told me to do so. In all of my earlier excitement, I forgot about him, not realising he left me immediately after healing me. I really did not know who he was. All I could tell them was, “That Man told me to.” They let me go. On the way home, I thought I should go to the temple to show myself to the priest and perhaps, give thanks to God for healing me.

Mechanical? Try meditating on God's Word in Hebrew, especially the Psalms.

 

Having done this, especially with the Psalms after completing the entire syllabus outlined in Weingreen, I have to say it really makes learning Hebrew more meaningful. Try this! 

        The Psalms is a great book to start with, especially since most of us already know the contents in English. Psalms are poetry in nature; therefore, they are short verses and packed with meaning. 

        You should go through the Psalms verse by verse. There are verses in it that you are familiar with that you can mediate on throughout the day. I do this all the time. Whether driving or cooking, or while having my shower, I occupy my idle mind with the Psalms in Hebrew. 

        My initial plan was to memorise some of the favourite Psalms in Hebrew. However, I think the more important step is to first meditate on the meaning first. While meditating on the Psalms, I realise that I was able to review my Hebrew grammar, something which I agree can be too "mechanical" while going through Level 1 and 2 Biblical Hebrew. 

        While the grammar and vocabulary are necessary in the learning of any language, we have to supplement it with the syntax and the way words are used to produce a specific effect. 

        This will not only help you review your understanding of concepts such as cohortative, imperative and jussive (which you learnt in Hebrew Level 1), when you see how these words function within the context of a given situation; meditating on God's Word in Hebrew will also help unleash a new zest in learning the language. 

        You will also how beautiful and precise the language is because the Psalms are poetic in nature. Those of you who did English literature (I did not) will be able to understand this better why you were told to read William Shakespeare. What a feeling when you begin to build your confidence in handling the language the way it is used! 

        If you follow this piece of advice, your feeling that Hebrew Grammar (same with English Grammar) is too 'mechanical' and 'dry' will be gone. The new insights that you have gained through the learning of Biblical Hebrew at Levels 1 and 2 seminary level will give new meanings to the text that you are reading. 

        For those who know how to sing, it is a also good to sing some songs in Hebrew after going through the lyrics in Hebrew. Go back to those days when you were in nursery school where you learnt the nursery rhyme by hard and sing along with your teachers. 

        Those of you who are able to download "Daily Dose of Hebrew" on your mobile phone will find the grammar being explained as the verses are parsed, glossed and given the English translation. For example, this morning (Oct 1), the gentleman parsed the Pe-Yod (I-Yod) in Psalm 119: 94. 

”לְֽךָ־אֲ֭נִי הוֹשִׁיעֵ֑נִי כִּ֖י פִקּוּדֶ֣יךָ דָרָֽשְׁתִּי׃“

(Psalm 119:94 HMT-W4)

https://accordance.bible/link/read/HMT-W4#Psa._119:94

        After all, we should realise that when we first started learning English in school, we may begin with the dry bones of grammar, but we are not stuck there. Like the Spirit of God breathing on the dry bones life in Ezekiel's Valley of Dry Bones, those of us who are able to take English further will find a new lease of life, power and freedom in the way we are able use the language to communicate. 

        

Like the green olive tree forever

 

While doing my devotion this morning, I found an interesting description of the olive in Psalm 52:10. 

”וַאֲנִ֤י ׀ כְּזַ֣יִת רַ֭עֲנָן בְּבֵ֣ית אֱלֹהִ֑ים בָּטַ֥חְתִּי בְחֶֽסֶד־אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים עוֹלָ֥ם וָעֶֽד׃“

(Psalm 52:10 HMT-W4)

https://accordance.bible/link/read/HMT-W4#Psa._52:10

        Here, the Hebrew seems to emphasize the COLOUR of the olive, whereas the Septuagint translation into Greek uses the word κατάκαρπος (meaning, being fruitful) is used instead. 

        On one hand, this appears to be a mistranslation by the Septuagint scholars. However, we have to understand the difference in the demographics of the Old Testament Jews and those living in other areas. 

        In the Tropics, an evergreen tree is very common. We look at beauty from a different perspective. If there colourful flowers on the tree, we say it is beautiful. But, for a country like Israel, where trees do not always grow or remain green all year round, the olive is "beautiful" because its green leaves symbolises its fruitfulness. Abundance of fruits means wealth and prosperity. The olive tree can grow even on land that has little soil.         

        For that reason, the psalmist describes himself like an olive (tree) that is green and fruitful. In some Mediterranean countries like Spain, if given enough nutrition, the olive tree can live for over a thousand years and still remain fruitful. Hence, we now understand that the psalmist knows that he will only be fruitful (or green) for as long as he remains in the house of God. 

        This brings to mind two texts of the Scriptures: 

(1) When the Lord Jesus spoke to His disciples: 

““Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.”

(John 15:4 NAS95)

https://accordance.bible/link/read/NAS95S#John_15:4

(2) When Paul described Israel as a cultivated olive tree: 

Rom. 11:17 ¶ But if some of the branches (referring to Israel) were broken off, and you, being a wild olive (referring to the non-Jews), were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree,

        The Gentiles are referred to as the wild olive tree: 

Rom. 11:24 For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?

        This text does not speak about grafting as us, Gentiles becoming Jews or trying to live like the Jews; rather, in the same light of what the Lord Jesus said in John 15, and what the psalmist in Psalm 52 mentioned, we are to be fruitful. 

        To be fruitful, we are to abide in Christ (John 15: 4, 5).

What is Rosh Hashanah?

 

We say, שָׁנָה  טוֹבָה (Shanah Tovah, literally translated as Good Year) or Happy New Year (to our Jewish friends on Rosh Hashanah (רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה). It is the beginning of their calendar year. 

        It is like us Chinese celebrating the first day of the new calendar year. The Jewish year of 5782 starts on September 7, 2021 being the first month of the Jewish month, Tishrei. 

        The word 'rosh' (רֹאשׁ) means the 'head' or the 'chief' and 'shanah' (שָׁנשָה) means year.' 

        Biblically, this is also known as the Yom Teruah (יוֹם תְּרוּעַה) which can be translated as 'Day of Shouting.' 

        Although the Jews celebrate this day as one of their High Holy Days, being Gentile believers in Christ, Paul warned us against the influence of the Judaizers during his time.  

“Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day — things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ." (Colossians 2:16–17)

  

Christ is Our Focus 

        Our focus should always be on Christ alone, who Alone is the culmination of all prophecies regarding Him and the fulfilment of all the requirements under the Law of Moses. The Law was given to the Israelites so that they could be goaded to the Messiah who was to come.

        Throughout His ministry, Jesus never instructed the disciples (who were Jews themselves) to teach others to follow the Jewish traditions; otherwise, the worldwide church would have been celebrating the Jewish feasts like our brethren of faith from the Jewish tradition. 

        Instead, Christ instituted only one -- the Lord's Supper, -- which is a culmination of all that He came for. This has been the tradition for both the Jewish and Gentile believers. 

        The dispute with the Judaisers became so intensive that the apostles had to call for the Council of Jerusalem, where all the instructions to the Gentile believers were summed up in these words with only four necessities spelt out clearly for the Gentile believers:

"For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials:

 that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.”

(Acts 15:28–29 NAS95)  

 

        Because Christ is the fulfilment of all the prophecies and feasts of the Old Testament, we are therefore, no longer required to celebrate the feasts as Gentile believers. 

        Those who quote scriptures in the Old Testament to support their idea that these feasts are meant to be celebrated by the Church, have failed to see that Christ is the substance and fulfilment of all the requirements and feasts under the Mosaic Law.  They bring others into bondage once again to the Law, when Christ's work on the Cross was supposed to set us free!

It is Finished!

        When Christ came, He lived a perfect life, free from sins. He was the perfect pascal lamb who was sacrificed as an atonement for our sins. Unlike the Jewish priestly traditions, our Lord only had to do it once and He did it for all. There was no need for Him to lay down His life every year like what the High Priest had to do with the pascal lamb once a year on Yom Kippur.

        On the cross, our Lord cried out, Τετέλεσται, which meant, 'It is finished!'  (John 19:30). Paraphrased, this means, "It's a done deal!" or "All debts paid!" 

        Jesus did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfil it (Matt 5:17):

“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.

        He has delivered us from the bondage of the Law that could not save us, so why, if we have been saved by God's grace, do we now go back to the Law? 

“Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day — things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ." (Colossians 2:16–17)

Do Not Believe Everything You Hear

        On the Internet these days, there are many of this kind of teachings out there. 

        It is unfortunate that we continue to feed on this kind of junk food instead of the solid meat from the Word of God. 

        One can read so many meanings into the Word of God. This is called 'eisegesis' (meaning, reading meanings into the text). It's not necessarily only the Hebrew text, but even the English text, you can find so many so-called "hidden" or "secrets" messages. I call this 'theological rubbish.'

        God's Word, for one, will make it very clear if God wants us to know. Even when Jesus told the parables, He made sure the disciples understood the lessons from these parables. 

        The tragedy is that people speculate too much about the Bible. As Dr Koh Siang Kiang of Singapore Bible Seminary puts it: "The less the Lord speaks about the subject, the more is written or speculated about!"

        Do not believe everything that you hear. Instead, search the Scriptures to see if it is true.

YOU CAN'T READ HEBREW? NOW AVAILABLE TO YOU FOR FREE

July 3, 2021 

        After prayerful consideration, I have decided to bless you with this book by making it available to you for free in PDF format. 

        Thank God, I have managed to recover the cost of printing a limited edition of the book. This book is intended to help you learn Biblical Hebrew. God willing, I may try to write another book on koine Greek.

        You may download the PDF by clicking on either the book cover above or the link below: 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1SnmCc2q99KCOn8cOT7VN-w6wLX5LW96P?usp=sharing

        If you would like to bless me, you may just make some transfer using Touch'n'Go. Please scan the QR code. 

        Alternatively, you may want to purchase the other leftover stock of books that I have written. You can purchase copies of these testimony books to give away as Christmas gifts:

• Ang Tang Loong: From Pest to Pest Controller. This book is about how a former gangster and drug addict has turned to Christ. He is today the founder of Stopest. 
• Sam Kian Seng: Kajang Redemption. In this book, Sam tells the story how he spent 27 years in Kajang prison.  

       You may want to purchase other books: 

https://booksbymalaysians.blogspot.com/2020/11/books-by-local-author-stephen-ng.html

        Please return to this page in about a week or two's time as I am still trying to sort out a software which I purchased tonight. It is supposed to convert the PDF into a flippable e-book but for some reason I am unable to do it. 

Why Christians celebrate Good Friday and Lord's Supper instead of Old Testament Feasts?

       Forget about modern day Easter Bunny and all the pagan festivals that Good Friday and Easter have replaced.

         It is unfortunate that there are also people teaching that we should instead of celebrating Good Friday and Easter, observe the feasts instituted pre-Christ era.

        Good Friday and Easter may have replaced what were formerly some pagan festivals; however, it is the significance of these two days in the Christian calendar that we need to focus on. 

         Good Friday is to remember Christ's death, whose crucifixion preceded His ultimate triumph over death -- for, after three days, Christ Himself was raised from the dead. This is the reason for Easter. The message of Christ resurrection should be shared out widely so that all mankind can now have hope. Christ is our First Fruit (1 Cor 15:20), marking the advent of the Holy Ghost upon the body of Christ on Pentecost. 

    Last Supper

        Going back to the last supper that Jesus had with His disciples, Jesus taught them the significance of the bread and cup:

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”

Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” (Matthew 26:26-29)

      It is interesting that, although the Passover feast was approaching, the Lord never taught His disciples to just continue on with the traditions from the Old Testament since they were all Jews.

        Instead, why did He institute a new tradition - the Lord's Supper, which has been followed through two thousand years of Church History?

        This question begs to be answered: Wouldn't it be a lot easier for the disciples to carry on the traditions that they were already familiar with since birth? Why Lord's Supper instead of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread? 

         This leads to the next question: Why Good Friday instead of Yom Kippur and why Easter instead of Feast of the First Fruits? 

        In understanding the Scripture, we need to have both the Old and the New Testaments. There is a saying, "The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed; the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed." 

       The Reason for Good Friday

        As Paul clearly pointed out in Colossians 2:16-19, all feasts in the Old Testament pointed to Jesus who was coming. They were mere shadows of Christ's coming, meant for people who were living under the Old Covenant.

        For us, Christ came to accomplish the Law (Matthew 5:17). He was the last Pascal Lamb who came to fulfil all the requirements under the Old Covenant. Having been found perfect and blameless, this Lamb of God offered Himself to be sacrificed as the Pascal Lamb of God. His sacrifice alone was sufficient to redeem mankind from the curse of sin. After Him, there is no need for any other lamb to be sacrificed anymore! For this reason, Christians no longer observe Yom Kippur. 

        For the same reason, Christians do not celebrate the other feasts which God instituted for the Israelites who lived before the coming of the Messiah.

        Let's read the words of Paul again, focusing manly on the last few words (in bold): 

Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.

        This Good Friday, let us be ever grateful to our Lord who went to the Cross for our sake. You can read more about the fulfilment of the seven feasts in Christ Himself. Click here.

                I leave with you to read what a brother-in-Christ, Isuru from Sri Lanka             has written: 7 sayings of Jesus Christ on the cross – Blog by True God