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Let us Draw Near to The Father

Thursday, December 27, 2012

The Grover Principle


The ‘Grover Principle’

Heb 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
Last week’s parasha we explored the greater meaning of what it means to ‘draw near’ as defined by the title ‘Vayigash’ from the word Nagash. There we observed the changes that brought about restoration to family and the stop to sibling rivalry and jealousy. Thinking about such things drew my attention to the Qahal, or assembly at Ephesus in the book of Revelation. There Yeshua declares to them

And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.[1]

There are three things Doctor Yeshua prescribes for this Qahal. He tells them in verse five ‘to remember, to repent, and to do’, because they had ‘left their first love’. Left their first love? Not to overstate the obvious, but in order to leave something means you had to have been close to it previously. He tells them to ‘Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen’. The Complete Jewish Bible translation says it this way, “Remember where you were before you fell, turn from this sin, and do what you used to do before”. Remember where you were before you fell—and turn.

Remember Whence You Fell

To remember where you fell comes from the Greek word ‘ek-pip'-to’ and it means to drop away, specifically be driven out of one’s course. Any amount of time on this planet makes you a card carrying member of having been driven off course. Stories abound, some bitter, some sweet but ask a friend or older relative and they will share dreams in waiting and plans not pursued. In the Strong’s Septuagint cross-reference there are numerous cognates, but the one of specific interest comes from the word ‘soor’. It can be spelled with either a Shin or a Samech and is followed by a Vav and a Resh, but it hails from Strongs #5493 and it means to turn off (literally or figuratively), to decline, to depart, leave undone, pluck away, put (away, down), to rebel, remove (to and fro), to revolt, be sour, to turn (aside, away, in), to withdraw, and to be without. When examined in the Paleo Hebrew we find its roots in the two letter root word Sar; comprised of a Samech and a Resh the Samech means to turn, while the Resh means a head, thus ‘to turn the head. This also gets its meaning found for ruler as the ruler turns the heads of the people.
But I find it fascinating that the word used for fallen in the Greek traces back to the word for ruler in the Hebrew. We find this word used in the Tnk in this upcoming week’s parasha Vayechi when Yisra’el was blessing Yosef’s sons. We read

“And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head.[2]

When Joseph went to remove his Father’s hand from atop Ephraim’s head he in essence was attempting to change who would rule. The mechanics of the word so powerfully demonstrate Messiah here. Sur, defined as to turn the heads of, as a ruler turns the heads of his people, we find it is also the root word for Prince. You may have already recognized it. The book of Isaiah prophecies of Messiah, calling Him the ‘Sar Shalom’ or Prince of Peace. Beloved, could it have been that in the diligence to do what was right, Ephesus had lost the real meaning of ‘why’ they were motivated to do what they did? Allow me to use myself as an example. If I saturate myself with Torah study, learning all the beautiful meanings behind what it means to follow Yeshua and walking it out in a way that pleases The Father, yet never leave my room to demonstrate it by way of being a real servant to my family, what have I done? If I spend countless hours preparing a message of experiencing God’s peace and then create chaos under my roof because I choose to allow fear or pride or anxiety to rule in my heart instead of Yeshua, what have I done? There’s a disconnect here, isn’t there? But how can that be? Because I’ve left something, what was it?

The answer is found in a concept I’ve endearingly titled, ‘The Grover Principle’. If you’ve ever been exposed to any children’s programming over the last 40 years then in all likelihood you have been contaminated with the furry friends that live down on Sesame’ Street. You or your children or even your grandchildren may have their favorite character, but for the sake of this teaching the one I want you to focus upon with me is a blue straggly haired nerd of a puppet called ‘Grover’. Remember Grover? Grover taught us the concept of near, and far. Yes, I can almost see some of the smiles on some of your faces as you read this, because like me, you too remember the skit and you remember the ‘tap-shoe’ footfalls that echoed as he lumbered, arms flailing back in the distance and shouting, and then trotted with such clumsy drunken style back front and center of our television sets. Little did we know that Grover was teaching deep theology rooted in the elementary concepts of distance. When Grover was far he was small and difficult to hear. But when he came near he was easily recognizable, easy to hear—and even easier to reach out and touch. Judah and Joseph demonstrated the Grover Principle in last week’s parsha study.

Too many congregations in our day have abandoned The Grover Principle for something else. Something else has become their ruler, and like it or lump it we’ve allowed something else to turn our head and steal our attention. We, like the Qahal at Ephesus do many things well. We study the Word, we divide it rightly and do for the most part an outstanding job of using the Word to point out flaws in others. But rarely do we use it to draw near?

Teshuva

So we’ve remembered. We remembered what it means to draw near. But before we can do it we have to, repent. This is the second caveat Yeshua declares for the assembly at Ephesus. The word in the Greek is met-an-o-eh'-o, and it means to think differently or afterwards, that is, reconsider.
“If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.[3]The word in Hebrew is ‘Shub’. Shin, Vav, and a Beit and it means ‘to return’. Pictographically it means ‘to press in to the tent’. To press into the tent is figurative language for entering into the family, i.e. being grafted in. And there it is—drawing near. Family is all heart—and our Heavenly Father is all heart.

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.[4]

Shamar

We draw near with a true heart beloved. Remembering our Messiah has redeemed us and restored us because YHVH ‘so loved the world that He gave His only Son’. That should spark within us a remembrance of that first love. It was that first love that inspired YHVH to make man. It was that first love that caused Him to draw near to Abraham, to Isaac and Jacob, to Moses and to us. Mercifully, we’ve been grafted into covenantal relationship, being brought near into intimate relationship with and holy worship of Our Father and Creator. Remembering and repentance stirs us ‘to do’ the first works again, not from rote, which is memorization lacking understanding—but from a heart overflowing with the indwelling Holy Spirit. In fact one of the septaugint cross-reference words for repent in the Hebrew is the word banah—meaning to build, stemming from the word ‘binah’, which means to get understanding. Once we have turned and repented and gained under-standing we will do. ‘Do’ in the Hebrew comes from the word Shamar, and it means to hedge about (as with thorns), that is, guard; generally to protect, attend to, beware, be circumspect, take heed (to self), keep, mark, observe, preserve, regard, reserve, save, wait (for), watch (-man).”
 
In closing mishpocha, Let us draw near, understanding that to draw near is to do the first works, returning to our first love, Messiah Yeshua. Today as we consider, as we strive to remember, to repent and to do, let us not become so caught up in the study that we forget why it is what we do. Let us practice the ‘Grover Principle’, drawing near, by loving our spouse, our children and the greater family of Mashiach in practical ways of sacrifice each and every day. Shalom.





[1] Rev.2:3-5
[2] Gen.48:17
[3] De.30:10
[4] Heb.10:22

Saturday, December 22, 2012

The Art of Saving A Life: By Drawing Near


Vayigash (He Approached): B’resheet 44:18-47:27; Haft: Yechezk’el (Ez.) 37:15-28; B’rit: Lk.6:6-16, Acts 7:9-16



The Awakened Dreamer
This week’s parasha is called Vayigash, or ‘And he approached’. At first it was Joseph who approached. We read “And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.[1]” The word used in this instance is the word Qarab which is found in the word for the book Vayikra. Vayigash comes from the word naw-gash', comprised of the three letter root of a Nun, a Gimel and a Shin. By the way, in this week’s portion who approached this time, or drew near might be a better definition? It was Judah, the brother who planted the seed of selling his brother to conceal their own guilt? But this time he draws near to offer himself, to take the debt of his brother Benjamin; which is interesting when we consider the word naw-gash'. Like most well behaved three letter Hebraic roots this one reveals a wealth of understanding as it applies in this portion. If we address the first and last letter, which would be the Nun and the Shin, it forms a two letter root—nosh’. Pictographically we have the picture of a seed, meaning continuance, and the shin meaning pressing. Strung together they mean a ‘continual pressing’, suggesting ‘a debt or deception which causes oppression.[2]’ Now, when we introduce the Gimel which returns us back to the original three letter word which sits in between the Nun and the Shin we form an even clearer picture. Pictographically the Paleo Hebrew letter Gimel is a picture of a foot and therefore contains the meaning of ‘to walk, to gather or to carry’. So, if we want to understand in context of this parsha what it means to draw near, we can begin to appreciate it’s greater meaning when we understand it has something to do with ‘carrying a debt’. Keep that in your hip pocket. We’ll come back to this momentarily.
So do we understand that it was part of our Creator’s design to fill our heart and mind with dreams? Dreams are beautiful because they defy the ordinary and dare to hope, they dare to believe in the impossible, the unrealistic, and the improbable. Dreams grab unflinchingly to the faith in which we’ve been called to steadfastly continue. However, we began this story some portions ago with a well favored, albeit young and naïve boy by the name of Joseph. Joseph was a dreamer and Jacob’s elected firstborn. Oblivious to much of the harder knocks that come from coping with the disappointments and hurts common to living, he sets out hoping in the great things God has planned for him just ahead. How little did he know then the critical part he would play in such a great deliverance just a few years into his future! Dreams however tend to thrust us forward to the moment where the curtain rises, beauty is revealed and the blessing follows, failing to reveal the countless hours of preparation, sweat and sacrifice involved that lead to that one breathtaking and revelatory moment in history. Perhaps that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Had Joseph known ahead of time the numerous difficult trials that lay ahead, he might have pursued a less arduous path.
Being the Redeemer that He is, YHVH is THE consummate writer of the most beautiful of redemption stories throughout eternity, so it is His nature to construct such a beautiful picture of redemption in the lives of a brother, a father, some rival siblings, and even a benevolent Pharaoh. Yes, a benevolent Pharaoh. Maybe your mind isn’t stuck but my brain filter is clogged here, fixated on a hardened heart of a man, a sinister and cruel tyrant bent on the genocide of YHVH’s people who went by the name of Pharaoh. But remember, Pharaoh is just a title; meaning ‘Great House’ it was commonly used ‘[a]s a circumlocution used to specify the king, the phrase ‘per a’o’ may be analogous to the phrase ‘the white house.[3]’ And just like Pharaohs who came and went, so did Israel garner its own checkered roster of kings who fared more akin to greedy idolaters pursuing the illusion of control rather than the righteousness and the kingdom of God. Truth be told, Joseph was favored of God; and because he was filled with the Ruach Ha’Kodesh (Pharaoh admitted it himself![4]), the palace of Pharaoh too, at least for the time that Joseph lived in Egypt, was also filled with The Spirit of YHVH and had indeed become a very “Great House”.
The pressing issue at hand has boiled to a tipping point right out of the cup in M’ketz, or ‘At the End’. We observed Joseph’s ease of aligning circumstances to bring his beloved little brother Benjamin to his door. The one thing Jacob spoke as an absolute prohibition, Joseph made become that very reality. As peculiar as it was that the brothers had been seated for supper according to their birthright was now the even more precarious plight of losing Jacob’s only vestige of his beloved Rachel—Benjamin. The little brother who was never to be jeopardized had now been so easily shifted to the forefront of our attention and duly plucked from Jacob’s life; which was said to be ‘bound up in the lad’s life[5]’.
All of this is leading to the culmination of something far greater. The plot in this drama is unfolding according to the mind of YHVH, and what we learn is that Joseph, as understandable as it might have been was not bent on revenge or to take justice into his own hands. Call to mind…
For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.[6]
Did not YHVH provide Joseph early on with a true prophetic vision that Abba would bring to pass at the end? Look the vision, or dream is for an appointed time, or mo-ade', this is a specific reference to walking according to YHVH’s calendar, His Time and not man’s. Joseph had a vision, a dream, and it was to lead him to finally speak at the end… ‘Qets’—at the end (last week’s parasha) of God’s appointed time!
‘But at the end it shall speak.’ God’s visions speak with power. The word used here for ‘speak’ comes from Strongs #6315 or poo'-akh and it means

Poo’-akh
A primitive root; to puff, that is, blow with the breath or air; hence to fan (as a breeze), to utter, to kindle (a fire), to scoff: - blow (upon), break, puff, bring into a snare, speak, utter.
We see the same word used in the negative when describing the greatest thing that God hates found in the book of Mishlei or Proverbs chapter 6 verse 19 that reads
“A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.”
Now this is where we’re pointing the bow of our boat during the course of this study. The word used in this Mishlei reference for ‘speaketh’ is the same word we observed used in the reference to the prophet Habbakuk for ‘speak’. What does speaking lies do? Look back the definition. In the negative sense it puffs up—what also puffs up? Pride. It kindles a fire and can bring one into a snare. When we speak lies we sow seeds of discord and division that separate brothers. When Judah orchestrated the placing of Joseph in the pit and selling him it was a lie born to protect an even greater sin—Pride. But in the positive sense we get a totally different picture. When God’s vision comes to pass it kindles a Holy Fire that brings light to the blind. Purpose, passion and heat to those who previously were cold in the faith. It brings a breeze to them slaving under the heat and exhaustion of strongholds that seek to make us grow weary and despair, and it also breathes life!
 It shall not lie. So, in order for YHVH’s people to experience the vision they must first be willing to
1)     Stop believing the lies of the enemy, that includes a ceasing of allowing lies to rule in your mind, allowing lies to alter your perception of reality, to create fear that paralyzes our life, and
2)   Stop joining in the proliferation of things that are contrary to God’s truth, i.e. lies, i.e. claiming to walk in truth and yet still joining in pagan celebrations that grieve the very heart of God (we are called to abide by His Appointed Times), i.e. claiming to walk in truth and yet speaking lashon hara against those who have been created in the very image of YHVH, i.e. claiming to be a servant of Messiah when you, in truth may actually be serving your own devices to suit your
own end.
 “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.[7]

It shall surely come. A large part of Joseph’s preparation was refining him to the point that he no longer attempted to put his faith in man. We read in the book of Yasher that the two years Joseph was left to remain in the prison house after the cup bearer had been restored were ‘from the Lord in order to punish Joseph because he had trusted in man.[8]

The greater reality is that YHVH used Joseph’s brother’s rejection to bring salvation to the known world at that time. Joseph as we already know was a type and shadow of Messiah. As Joseph was rejected by his own, so was Yeshua…

And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son? And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.[9]


See, just as Messiah was to be rejected, so was Joseph in order that he actually for a time could be separated from his brothers in order to bring salvation to the whole world!

But I would like to submit to you that when we are willing to stare at lies and the motivation behind telling them we will find fear or pride to be the leading cause. We fear our record will be tarnished in the eyes of—who? Right, men. So if it’s not fear, then it’s pride. Pride says, ‘I’m above that and it applies to my neighbor, not to me’. When pride and fear are stripped away and we come with a willing heart then God can free us from the bondage grown out of years nurturing the seeds of discord, but just know that to be free of it you have to first want it!

          In the book of Luke chapter six we read the story of a man Yeshua healed on the Sabbath while at the Synagogue.

“Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it? And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other.[10]



The Art of Saving A Life

Before we close I want to address a final point in conclusion, and that is the art of saving a life. Beloved, ask yourself where you currently stand at in your relationships with the body of Messiah. Are you involved? Do you know their burdens? Do you care? Is it even a priority in your life? Because what we’re whittling this down to is exactly that—life! Currently in my limited experiences and observations I see within both the church and the Messianic roots movement are broken people walking with a restoring Savior, but unwilling to go and do the first works. This subject is something very dear to my family and is a crucial lesson I sometimes need to learn again and again. Beloved, do we want to be right? Or do we want Restoration?
There is a difference. Being a married man I know fairly well what it feels like on the rare occasion to be ‘right’. Let me just say for all the posturing, defense tactics and downright grumpiness expressed at the end of it all I am left alone…and right. Truly, how self-defeating is it to be king of the hill and no one to share it with? When we argue for the sake of being right we sow these seeds of discord that are fueled more by pride than a love of YHVH’s truth. The truth is, Judah loved his father so much, and knowing it would kill him to be separated from Benjamin, he was willing to draw near and offer himself and take his place—to save a life. Judah who finally began to understand was willing, as defined at the beginning of our study, to carry and pay the debt for his brother Benjamin. Beloved this is what drawing near is all about! Joseph wanted restoration with his family as well. Which is why after being convinced that Judah and the brothers had undergone change, he ordered all of the Egyptians out of the room to reveal himself.
     Why did he do that? He did it because he wanted to reveal himself to his family! He wept aloud and exclaimed who he was—could we stand to do a little more of that with one another? How many of us teeter weekly with the frustrations we suffer within the body of Messiah because for one reason or another we feel slighted, rejected or looked down upon and made to feel less by a ‘brother’ or ‘sister’? It’s unfortunate, but can be turned around beloved if only we will learn the art of saving a life!
          In B’resheet 45:7 Joseph said “God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.[11]
The word used in Hebrew here for the phrase ‘save your lives’ comes from Strongs #2421 and is the word khaw-yaw' and it means to live, whether literally or figuratively; causatively to revive: - keep (leave, make) alive, give (promise) live, nourish up, preserve (alive), quicken, recover, repair, restore (to life), revive, be whole.

² Yeshua said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.[12]

And how did He bring us to life? Remember that old and great verse taught since a child, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.[13]
² We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.[14]
² “But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?[15]
² “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. [16]
So how do we save a life? Can we? Yes mishpocha, like Yeshua who reached out and touched the man with the withered hand, we can extend ourselves in love to one another. It’s the act of self-sacrifice and doing it for the sake of restoring. And when we offer ourselves to one another in love to serve and meet the needs of one another, it will bring healing. When we ‘Draw Near’ to one another and offer ourselves in service this act is akin to the priests who approached the altar. For we read
When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the LORD:[17]
Let us Draw Near to the altar that we too can be used by The Father as He did Joseph. Judah ‘drew near’ to offer himself to Joseph as a slave, and Joseph when revealing himself to his family told them to ‘draw near I pray you’ and see that it was he their long lost brother who truly had been used to save all of their lives! This is what Saving a Life is about and this is how it is to be done. Today, as we go out, and as we come back to our homes, let us seek opportunity to let Abba use us to ‘draw near’ and bring life into one another. Shalom Alecheim.


[1] B’resheet 37:18
[2] Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible, Benner, Jeff. A.H.L. #1320 p.191
[3] Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament #1825, p.737
[4] Gen.41:38
[5] Gen.44:30
[6] Hab.2:3
[7] 1Cor.2:4-5
[8] The Book of Jasher Referred to in Joshua & II Samuel; chapter 46 vs.19 p.137
[9] Lk.4:22-24
[10] Lk.6:9-10
[11] B’resheet 45:7
[12] Jn.10:10
[13] Jn.3:16
[14] 1Jn.3:14
[15] 1Jn.3:17
[16] 1Jn.4:20-21
[17] Shemot (Ex.)30:20