“Seek Yahweh while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return to Yahweh, and He will have compassion on him. Turn to our Elohim, for He will abundantly pardon.”
Isaiah 55: 6-7
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Ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel (Part 7): Yahweh Does What He says He will Do
Below is the first episode in a series called The Bible. The entire series is good.
I’m a college professor. I can nitpick as well as anybody, but I won’t do it. Reading the Bible is better than watching this series, but the series is a good start.
Based on my experience, I can tell you that reading the Bible produces results that go far beyond reading words on paper. It’s as though Yahweh opens your mind and shows or tells you things that are personal to you. He has been doing that for me since I was a little boy, and He keeps doing it. It’s wonderful.
Wonderful is one of Yahweh’s Names:
Then Manoah [Samson’s father] said to the Angel of Yahweh [the Angel of Yahweh is Yahweh], “Please let us detain you so that we may prepare a young goat for you.” The Angel of Yahweh said to Manoah, “Though you detain Me, I will not eat your food, but if you prepare a burnt offering, then offer it to Yahweh.” For Manoah did not know that he was the Angel of Yahweh. Manoah said to the Angel of Yahweh, “What is your Name, so that when your words come to pass, we may honor you?” But the Angel of Yahweh said to him, “Why do you ask my Name, seeing it is Wonderful?” So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering and offered it on the rock to Yahweh, and He performed wonders while Manoah and his wife looked on. For it came about when the flame went up from the altar toward heaven, that the Angel of Yahweh ascended in the flame of the altar. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell on their faces to the ground. (Judges 13: 15-20)
Pilee is the Hebrew word that’s translated as “Wonderful” in this passage of Scripture. It can also be translated as “secret”. In the passage of Scripture above, Wonderful is the correct translation.
But Yahweh is the Name Elohim told us to call Him forever:
Elohim said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” Elohim, furthermore, said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘Yahweh, the Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This [Yahweh] is My Name forever, and this is My memorial-Name to all generations.” (Exodus 3: 14-15)
Obviously, the Name Yahweh is not secret. It is used almost 7,000 times in the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings (the Old Testament). But Yahweh’s Name is Wonderful. Keep in mind that translating Hebrew words into English requires you to know the context in which the words are being used. In fact, Yahweh was telling Manoah one of His Names.
Now, back to the Name “Wonderful”, Pilee comes from the Hebrew word “Pele”. Below is Isaiah 9: 6:
For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us. The government will rest on His shoulders, and His Name will be called Wonderful [Pele], Counselor [Yo’eitz], Mighty El [El Gibbor], Eternal Father [Aviad], Prince of Peace [Sar Shalom].
The Messiah is the Child about whom Isaiah is speaking. Those are some of His Names, but Yahweh told Jeremiah the Name we are supposed to call Him:
“Behold, the days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch. He will reign as King and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. In His days, Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. This is His Name by which He will be called: ‘Yahweh our Righteousness.’” (Jeremiah 23: 5-6)
No one is righteous, but Yahweh declares us “righteous” when we place our faith in Him and follow Him. Yahweh is our righteousness. In a way, it’s like a “not guilty” verdict in a jury trial. Regardless of what we did or may have done, we are deemed to be “not guilty”, because the Messiah paid the price for our sins. He is our righteousness, our Redeemer, and our Savior/Deliverer.
Yahweh is the Name that is above every name. As I said, Yahweh told Jeremiah that the Messiah’s Name is Yahweh. The apostle Paul explained it to the Philippians this way:
For this reason also, Elohim highly exalted Him [the Messiah], and bestowed on Him the Name which is above every name [Yahweh], so that at the Name of Yeshua [Yahweh] every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Yeshua the Messiah is Yahweh, to the glory of Elohim the Father [Aviad]. (Philippians 2: 9-11)
So, the Messiah’s true identity has never been hidden, but far too few believers have understood what Yahweh said. The Messiah is the Creator:
In the beginning, Elohim created the heavens and the Earth. (Genesis 1: 1)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with Elohim, and the Word was Elohim. He was in the beginning with Elohim. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. (John 1: 1-5)
Elohim is a plural word. The use of Elohim in Genesis 1: 1 points to Yahweh’s complex unity. He is the Eternal Father; He is the Messiah; and He is the Holy Spirit. (In Hebrew, Holy Spirit is “Ruach ha-Kodesh”. He is the Spirit of Yahweh.) The Father, the Son/the Messiah, and the Holy Spirit are One.
Yahweh’s triune nature has been the source of much consternation for ultra-Orthodox Jews for millennia. That is especially true for ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel, but the Tanach (i.e., the Old Testament) speaks of it from Genesis to Malachi.
Ultra-Orthodox Jews point to Deuteronomy 6: 4-5 as the source of their difficulty with Yahweh’s triune nature, and they focus on the word one (echad):
“Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our Elohim [Eloheinu], Yahweh is One [Echad]! You shall love Yahweh your Elohim [Eloheicha] with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”
Both Eloheinu (our Elohim) and Eloheicha (your Elohim) are plural words, but Yahweh is One (Echad). The explanation is right there in the verses that ultra-Orthodox Jews think prove that Yahweh doesn’t have a triune nature.
It’s not complicated. As I said, Yahweh is a complex unity.
If ultra-Orthodox Jews would simply accept what Yahweh said as the truth, they wouldn’t have a problem. Instead, they insist on substituting their seriously flawed interpretations of Yahweh’s word for Yahweh’s straightforward presentation about Himself in the Scriptures. Then, they make their flawed interpretations the law instead of Yahweh’s word. They call it “the Oral Law” and “Halacha”. We call it “the traditions of the Jews”. Many of those traditions miss the mark completely. In this instance, their interpretation isn’t even close to the truth.
Yahweh’s word is a light to their path, but they refuse to use it. They prefer wandering around in the darkness and stumbling over simple things.
“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation. The one who believes will never be shaken.” (Isaiah 28: 16)
“See, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone. The one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.” (1 Peter 2: 6)
The Messiah is the precious corner stone. He said this about Himself:
Therefore, I tell you, the kingdom of Elohim will be taken away from you [ultra-Orthodox Jewish religious leaders] and given to a people producing its fruits. And the one who falls on this stone [the Messiah] will be broken to pieces; and when it [the precious cornerstone] falls on anyone, it [the Messiah] will crush him.” (Matthew 21: 43-44)
Specifically, the Messiah was talking about the ultra-Orthodox Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem who condemned Him to death on a cross. Little did they know that they were fulfilling Scripture and paving the way for the Messiah to become our Savior/Deliverer and our Redeemer. The Messiah took the penalty for our sins on Himself. He is our righteousness. That was Yahweh’s plan from the very beginning of creation.
But He [the Messiah] was pierced for our offenses. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. All of us, like sheep, have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way, but Yahweh has caused the iniquities of us all to fall on Him. (Isaiah 53: 5-6)
But Yahweh desired to crush Him, causing Him grief. If He renders Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of Yahweh will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied. By His knowledge, the Righteous One [the Messiah], My Servant, will justify the many, for He will bear their iniquities. (Isaiah 53: 10-11)
As you watch the series, keep in mind that believers have an advantage over nonbelievers. We have been given Yahweh’s Spirit. He is a gift to us from Yahweh. The Spirit of Yahweh leads us and directs our paths. He even talks to us in various ways.
Hearing Yahweh’s voice is incredible. To nonbelievers, hearing Yahweh’s voice is considered radical. Many nonbelievers probably think a person who says that Yahweh spoke to him is a lunatic. That’s not the case, though. Yahweh really does speak. Believers learn to recognize His voice. When they hear it, it’s amazing. I love hearing Yahweh’s voice.
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10: 27)
Yahweh promised to give His Spirit to anyone who has faith in Him and follows Him. If you don’t have Yahweh’s Spirit, just ask Him to give His Spirit to you. He will do it, because He said He would. Yahweh doesn’t lie. He does what He says He will do. But remember, you must have faith in Yahweh. That means you believe Him and want to follow Him. I call it “the faith of Abraham”. See The Trilogy.
It’s the simplest thing in the world. All you have to do is ask.
“Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7: 7)
That’s a promise, and as I said, Yahweh does what He says He will do. Don’t be too proud to ask Yahweh for the things He promised to give you.
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“I am the good shepherd. I know My sheep and My sheep know Me — just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father — and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also. They too will listen to My voice, and there shall be one flock and one Shepherd. The reason My Father loves Me is that I lay down My life — only to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from My Father.”
John 10: 14-18
