Into the Nations

Genesis 47:28-50:26, Vayechi, “And He Lived”

Moving into this week’s reading I am in a place of swimming in the depths of a perceived “understanding” that has helped me reconcile some questions that have been nagging at me for some time.  These questions are relative to traditional theology and the conflicts these theologies create in regard to what God “said” to and through Moses and how things operated within the context of the Mosaic Covenant.  The timing of these new perceived “understandings” fit perfectly into this week’s readings so, let’s dive in.

The challenge that sits before me is how to present this in a way that is streamlined, with continuity, not totally overwhelming, and makes sense.  The challenge is that the “questions” that led me to this ultimate understanding each pose their own struggle against traditional theology.  The image I have seen is that of taking a physical trip to Key West.  In an effort to get to Key West we must cross a series of bridges.  Ultimately, there is one final bridge that gets us from the second to last island to our final destination.  For me, I am feeling as if I have arrived at “Key West” although I know deep within this is still just another island along the way.  Regardless, this is how deeply this perceived “understanding” has rocked me and my view of the New Testament scriptures.  I will warn you; this is a long blog and you may want to break it up into a few readings.

So, let’s get started.  A few days ago, I was sharing this with my mom.  Because she has no attachment to, and only limited knowledge of, traditional theology, it was reasonably easy for her to follow along.  As such, we were able to take a boat ride from Miami to Key West without crossing over any bridges.  We simply set sail and landed on the beach where we spent some time basking in the sun.  The more attached people are to traditional theology the more time must be spent in crossing these bridges that ultimately lead us to where we are going.  I pray that I have found good balance in that regard.

In the context of this week’s readings, we can relate to the destination as Key West in that it isn’t exactly the physical destination that any follower of Christ should want to land except under the specific direction of the Lord for some work or purpose that He specifically has for us there.  This is a direct parallel to what we have been discussing in regard to the lives of Israel and his children as they were led through Joseph into Egypt where a purpose of “preserving life” ultimately became the enslavement of their future generations which God ultimately, in His amazing sovereignty, used for the purposes of “creating a nation”.

With all this considered, let’s look at some of the questions that led me to this perceived “understanding” that I find so monumental.  Each of these questions provided the foundation of the “bridges” that must be crossed in our journey to “Key West”, so let’s see where we go and how many of us are willing to travel this journey with me.  As you go through these you may find some that REALLY lead you into questioning if I have moved off into some heretical belief system that misses what Yeshua did for us on the cross or what He accomplished when He defeated sin and death and rose from the dead.  If your mind starts to go in these directions, trust me in how I am representing myself in your view of me; Nothing could be further from the truth!!

Here are the questions:

• What is the difference between a Gentile of the New Covenant and an “alien or foreigner who sojourns amongst you” in the Mosaic Covenant?
• If “aliens and foreigners” were welcomed into the “commonwealth” of Israel under the Mosaic Covenant, why do “gentiles” need the work of Yeshua on the cross for the same?
• If God expected the “aliens and foreigners” who sojourned amongst the people of Israel to honor Torah because it is “our wisdom” and “life”, why would He change that under the New Covenant?
• If God saw the Mosaic Covenant as “easy” and that He “should not have to send someone down from heaven or raise anyone from the dead” (from Deuteronomy 30) for the people to follow it, why do we believe that He had to do that very thing in Yeshua?  This is further emphasized when we consider that in Romans 9 & 10 Paul ties this scripture form Deuteronomy 30 to Yeshua.  He points out that the issue was that his brothers (The Jewish people) approached the Torah by works not Faith, and ties the “person” of Deuteronomy 30 to “Yeshuah” making it doctrine that God said, “I should not have to send Yeshua down from heaven or raise Him from the dead”.
• In Deuteronomy 30, what was God saying “should be easy, and in your mouth”?  Is it honoring Torah to the “T”, or walking in it in Spiritual relationship with Him, seeing the grace (Yeshua) in it, and leading the nations to His ways (wisdom and life) and to Him as outlined in what I would describe as the “first great commission” as revealed in Deuteronomy 4?
• If I am right in what I am proposing in the above, and the relationship between man and God, as outlined in the Mosaic Covenant, was complete and shouldn’t have needed the work of Yeshua coming down from heaven or being raised from the dead, why did God do it?  The theology of the Mosaic covenant foreshadowing or pointing to the work of Yeshua can’t exist in the light of Deuteronomy 30 and Romans 9 & 10.  So, what does Torah “foreshadow” and as such “point toward”?  Could it be “Yeshua” as He existed at the right hand of the father for all of eternity prior to His time on earth?  Could it be that this is the same Yeshua who He is at the right hand of the father right now?  In other words, could it be that both exist in the same context relative to the man/God relationship across both covenants?  Could it be that the first, prior to His coming, and the second, since His return, remain ultimately identical relative to who He is and His nature in what both the Mosaic Covenant and the New Covenant are foreshadowing and pointing toward?  Him!!
• And, if this is true, for Jews who walk in Torah in relationship with Yeshua in the same form of faith as believers do, how does Yeshua’s work on the cross change that relationship?

There are a lot more questions, and a few more minor bridges that I had to cross to come to where I am, but these are enough to get us onto the same page.  Again, I can imagine that some of you are beginning to wonder if I am about to lead us down a road of heresy.  I assure you that I am not. 

So, to that point, let me answer the last question first.  Simply put, there is no way for anyone to honor the Mosaic Covenant and a relationship with Yeshua (at the right hand of the father) as outlined in Torah since the destruction of the Temple without accepting what Yeshua did on the cross.  The Mosaic Covenant requires sacrifices performed by priests to maintain the “man/mediator/God” relationship outlined in Torah.  As such, without accepting Yeshua’s work on the cross and His role as High Priest, there simply is no way to honor the Mosaic Covenant as outlined in Torah.  There is a lot more to it, but in its simplicity, Torah observance without Yeshua simply is not possible for the past 2,000 years.

From here, let me answer the first question.  Yes, there is a difference between a “Gentile” and an “alien or foreigner” in that the “aliens and foreigners” were people who were living amongst the nation of Israel and who were living in harmony with Torah.  Over time they had the opportunity to graft themselves into the nation through the circumcision of the man of the house at which point the family became “just like the natives” (Exodus 12:48).  “Gentles” on the other hand are people who are not only not blood relatives of Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob, but they are also people who are not living in harmony with Torah.  The interaction of the Nation of Israel with this group of people is not clearly defined within the context of the Mosaic Covenant.

I am going to take another minute to share a few more explanations before I come to the final conclusion of where I am going with this.  The first is to explain where I stand on the statement that God said that Torah “is easy and in your mouth” and that He said that we should be able to walk in it without His sending Yeshua down from heaven or raising Him from the dead.  I kind of reconcile this to a father handing the keys of the family car to his 5-year-old son.  Granted, some 5-year-old kids might be able to drive the car, but very few.  I kind of see those few as those summarized in Hebrews 11, those who approached the promises of God by faith.  When it comes to the “Time of the Gentiles” (the last 2,000 years) I see something very similar.  Yeshua said “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:30).  It is true, if we approach this relationship with Him by faith and not works, it is “easy and in our mouths” just like God said through Moses relative to Torah.  Sadly, the vast majority of the Christian world is stuck in a helpless battle of behavior modification.  Ultimately, just as God “shouldn’t” have had to send Yeshua the first time, He “shouldn’t” have to send Him the second.  At the same time, as a cumulative people, this would be like a father giving a thirteen-year-old the car keys along with the owner manual and the state’s driving regulations.  Some thirteen-year-old kids would read the manual, study the driving regulations and pull off driving with no problem.  But the reality is, most wouldn’t.  The point is, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit along with the Word of God can only help us navigate this world if we remain in relationship with them.  Even such, we are still limited by our flesh and all fall short of the glory of God.  Ultimately God will use all this in His final making of “a nation” and do what He “shouldn’t” have to as he continues to provide mercy instead of justice.

So, with all this said, here is the perceived “understanding” that I am proposing.  What I am seeing is that God, in His wisdom and understanding of what He was about to do, provided us with a way to walk in Torah outside the land.  In other words, the New Testament writings and what God did through Yeshua on the cross was all provided beforehand so that His people would be able to, and know how to fulfill, the commission of Deuteronomy 4 (leading the world to His ways and Him) from within the “nations” instead of from within the “nation”.  I am proposing that He put all this into motion prior to the destruction of the temple and the spreading out of the nation across the world.  In other words, He provided the instruments and all the instructions for walking out Torah in the nations even before sending us out into the nations knowing beforehand what He was about to do!!!!!  From what I am seeing, this is foundationally why we needed the New Covenant and the New Testament writings. 

What hit me is that, Torah (the Mosaic Covenant) is fully based on the nation being “in the nation”.  As such, the people who are not of “the nation” would be the minority living amongst the majority.  Walking in obedience to Torah would be what would be naturally expected for all the people.  This is very similar to what we expect when other people come to live in this country.  When they do, we expect them to learn English, right? 

With this thought in mind, consider that when God gave us Yeshua, it was already in His plan to disperse the Nation of Israel across the face of the earth.  We (as a natural seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) were about to have no access to the temple, no access to the priesthood, and no opportunity for annual sacrifices.  At the same time, we would be the minority.  We were about to become the aliens and the foreigners living amongst other people, in their lands, and in the atmosphere of their laws, and cultural traditions.  With this frame of reference, it is easy to understand that it would simply be unrealistic to expect all the nations to instantly come into Torah observance just because He sent His people to go live amongst them.  With this in mind, what I am seeing is that it was critical to re-establish Torah observance without re-defining it.

If we accept that Torah observance always had Yeshua at the center and has always been a faith-based covenant, we can then conclude that that allowing Yeshua to be a one-time sacrifice and a replacement for the High Priest provides the opportunity for Torah compliance during this dispensation (the last 2,000 years).  The only major exception to this would be in the laws surrounding how people who are not descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are to come into the fold (the commonwealth of Israel). 

What I came to see is that, Torah only provides instruction on this for those who have been living amongst the people of Israel, who have been walking in Torah observance, and who have taken on the mark of the covenant (circumcision).  These prerequisites are simply not realistic expectations when “the nation” is living “amongst the nations”.  As such, through the New Covenant and writings of the New Testament, God added a section to Torah that had previously not existed.  This section could be labeled “how to graft the nations who you are living amongst into the commonwealth of Israel without Torah compliance as a prerequisite”.  For the most part, how I see it, is that in nearly every other respect, things remain as they forever have always been.  Life is still life, death is still death, holy is still holy, unholy is still unholy.  Clean is still clean, and unclean is still unclean.  God doesn’t change and I don’t believe He changes the definitions of these things.  I believe God still desires the world to come to a Spirit led understanding of what He defines these things to be, to see this as “our wisdom”, and to walk with Him in faith as He grows us into His image.

With this understanding, let’s move back into the context of Joseph, Israel, and the people of God.  As noted in last week’s summary, God sent Joseph to Egypt to preserve life.  As I continued down this path it came to me that God distributed “His people” across the face of the earth for the very same reason.  Isn’t it through us that God is bringing “life” to the rest of the world?  When I first started pondering this, I missed that point. Then it hit me, it isn’t about us.  It is about them.  When we make it about us, we tend to miss our purpose in being in the world and what we see as blessings for us, ultimately enslave us.

For this I am going to take us back to the thirteen-year-old with the car keys, the vehicle manual, and the state’s driving regulations.  Just like most kids in this situation who wouldn’t read the instruction manual or the driving regulations and simply jump behind the wheel and give it a go, we too tend to do the same with the Word and the Holy Spirit relative to life.  This is the same thing we see in the lives of the biblical characters.

In this week’s readings we find Israel knowing where he belongs but unable to simply go there.  We see Joseph doing the same.  Both knew they belonged in the promised land, both wanted to be there in their deaths, but neither had the strength to pick up the family and go while they were still alive.  What was keeping them bound to Egypt?  Why couldn’t they just leave?  As far as we know it was nothing more than their flesh.  They knew where they belonged but they just couldn’t get up and go.  In David’s blessing of Solomon, we see David at his death bed telling Solomon to do what he had not been able to do.  Throughout Ecclesiastes, we hear Solomon giving us the wisdom that he spent a lifetime unable to follow.

Deep down inside we all instinctively know that we have been sent out into the world to offer life to those around us and that to do that we must put our faith in God and His ways, to demonstrate what He calls life as life, and what He calls wisdom as wisdom. We know we must lean into the Holy Spirit for strength and guidance, and that we must stay in the Word so that we do not lose our direction.  But, just like those that have come before us, we tend to allow the ways of the nations to overtake us.  We allow the influence of sin to lead us to death and what God calls foolishness to be our guide.  Deep down inside we know what is true.  And, deep down inside we know where we want to be after we are dead.  At the same time, as we walk out this journey in the lands where He has sent us the struggles are great and the temptations are strong.  Afterall, Satan does mascara as an angel of light.

The reality is, to some degree it is possible, and to the other, it is what He will use to make us what He has created us to be.  With His strength we can do this, it is easy and it is in our mouths.  We can hold on to life for ourselves and be a light shining in a dark world.  The darkness does not have to overcome the light because in Him, the light overcomes the darkness.  We just need to focus in on Him, remember who we are as His, and keep our focus on His Word.  As we spend time in relationship with Him, He will lead us, guide us, and most importantly, keep us free.  At the same time, we must accept that covenant observance is not defined by flawless perfection.  We must be willing to accept His forgiveness when we fail, and trust in Him as He inflicts our souls with truth.  In this, we can live in harmony with Him and His ways, fulfilling our purposes, preserving life wherever He sends us, and walking out Torah in the same Spirit led way it was intended to be understood.

As a final thought, and I know this has been long, but it is important.  In crossing his hands in the blessing over Ephraim and Manasseh I see something very special being said by Israel.  I believe that when Joseph named these children, he was making a statement of turning away from his identity, his calling, and his purpose.  These two children were gentiles based on their mother’s birth line.  And the prosperity that came to Joseph from Egypt was in harmony with the tribulations of his journey in Egypt. 

Israel on the other hand, when blessing these two, referenced his journey with God and how his wrestling with God through his life experiences of affliction had led him into the land of promise.  In crossing his arms and blessing the youngest then the oldest I believe Israel was reversing the order of the names from forgetting the promised land and the heritage and being prosperous in the land of affliction being Egypt (sin).  In this reversal, I believe Israel was saying, one day you two will leave this place, and when that happens, you will forget about this gentile life and embrace your new identity as my children, you two will wrestle with God, it will be a time of affliction, but you too will be prosperous in a new land, just like I was, just like my father, and just like his father.  But the land you are going into will be a land flowing with milk and honey and a land that will never enslave you.  This is the promise that Yeshua has for all gentles through our father Israel. 

Yeshua came first for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  We (speaking as a natural descendant of the covenant) were lost sheep in that we didn’t have a shepherd.  In Him, we have a shepherd.  We should be able to be in the nations without being “of” the nations.  And, in this we can be a great light and be used by Him to “preserve life”.  In this, those who grab ahold of that life and graft themselves to us as His become a part of what He is doing.  Most of you who are reading this are of that group.  This is the image of what it is to be His, let’s walk this out together, encouraging each other, and cheer each other on as we push on toward the day that each of us will ultimately see the journey of our affliction lead us to the land of our promise where during that age, He can bring the full redemption to the “nations” as promised in Deuteronomy chapter 4.

I pray this has been a blessing.