UMJC RSS Feed| Parashat Tetzaveh |
 |
 |
 |
| Tetzaveh | |||
|
Torah: Exodus 27:20-30:10 There was a period in the 18th century known as the Enlightenment. The thinkers from that era included such well known men as Voltaire, Montesquieu and Jefferson, all of whom thought of God in a very interesting way. They believed that God did create the world, which of course is true to Scripture. They also believed that God left the world after that to run on its own course. It was like winding up a clock and then letting it run on its own. Their God was nothing more than a disinterested spectator in his own creation, kind of like a parent who has abandoned his family. We can speculate as to why these men thought as they did. In their minds, it was considered reason. They were deists and did not consider God personal. It may be, however, that like many today, they were more comfortable with this sort of God. If God is not interested in us, then we don't have to be concerned about pleasing him. In reality, the theistic, or personal, God of the Bible is very interested in all the details of people's lives. He is not a control freak but one who desires to be a loving father. His love is an attribute of his character, as is his holiness. We are all accountable to him and need to understand that he wants obedience in all the details of our lives. In the Torah portion, we do see God involved in every detail pertaining to worship. Nothing is left to chance or human decision when it comes to constructing the tabernacle. Many religious people today choose to worship God according to their own interpretation. The problem is that God alone has the right to choose how he is to be approached. The greatest joy any person can have is to worship God the right way, which is his way. There must, of necessity, be negative consequences for worshiping God in the wrong way, because he is holy and we are fallen creatures. Let us, as obedient creatures, worship God with hearts of gratitude and respond in complete obedience to his word. In the Haftarah portion, we see a man throwing away his great privileges before God because of false worship and disobedience. The two always go together. Saul was the king chosen by God. He more than anyone should have realized how accountable he was to God. Once again, like many religious people, Saul decided to follow God in a manner of his own choosing. He was given a simple command to wipe out the Amalekites. Every last one of them. Not only did Saul flagrantly disobey what he was told to do, he spared the captured king, who were are told was an Agagite. Instead of the Agagite line being wiped out, this king had descendants. One of them was named Haman and we read about the terrible problems he caused the Jewish people in the book of Esther. God always has a good reason for his commands. Saul's fall did not stop there. He also set up a place of worship for himself. Disobedience and man-made worship go hand in hand. All Saul had to do was obey. He would have been greatly blessed. Instead, he was tormented by guilt and rage for his remaining days, as he forfeited his position as king. Here in our Brit Chadashah we see Yeshua tell his talmidim that there is only one way to God, and that it is through him. This rules out universalism, the belief that all roads lead to heaven. All roads don't lead to heaven any more than driving on 55 south will lead you to Milwaukee. Or that by taking 94 north, you will end up in New York. The right and only road to God the father is through Yeshua, the son. Are you a true believer in Yeshua? If so, you are on the highway leading straight to heaven! The challenge is to follow and obey everything he commands you in his word. Nothing in your life is more important than worshiping and obeying God wholeheartedly as he commands in his word. The most miserable and tragic believers in the world are those who are living in disobedience to him. Our challenge is to follow God and obey him wholeheartedly. There is great blessing in doing so.
Email this
Hits: 1501 Comments (0)
 Write comment
|
by Michael Simons
Subscribe to this comment's feed
