Tag: faith

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General Historical Coincidences My Research on the Bible and Biblical Hebrew

What is “The Chosen People”? Do the Jews Benefit from It? Do They Have a Choice?? — Bible Answers

The “Chosen People” is assumed to be taken from the Bible. Therefore, it seems appropriate to refer to the Bible for accurate description of what it means to be God’s “Chosen People”, and, no less important, to learn how the Jews “benefit” from being the “Chosen People”, and whether they have a choice at all to cease being so.

The Bible, in its totality, is incredibly specific and accurate answering all these questions.

We start with a single verse from the Bible that, we believe, best answers the first two questions (What is “Chosen People”?; What is the “benefit”?). It is taken from prophet Amos (3:2):

“רַק אֶתְכֶ֣ם יָדַ֔עְתִּי מִכֹּ֖ל מִשְׁפְּח֣וֹת הָֽאֲדָמָ֑ה עַל־כֵּן֙ אֶפְקֹ֣ד עֲלֵיכֶ֔ם אֵ֖ת כָּל־עֲו‍ֹנֹֽתֵיכֶֽם:”

“Only you did I know of all the nations of the earth; therefore, I will visit upon you all of your iniquities.”

In a single verse, in so many as thirteen Hebrew words, the prophet asserts explicitly why the Jewish nation is “Chosen”, and what it entails.

  • The Jewish nation is “Chosen” because: “Only you did I know of all the nations of the earth;”
  • The “benefit” to the Jewish people: “Therefore, I will visit upon you all of your iniquities.”

In other words, you, the Jewish people, keep the covenant with God, or else…

What covenant?

The Jewish nation has a covenant with Jehovah God:

  • Isaiah (43:10,12; Bold not in the Bible):

“You are My witnesses,” says Jehovah, “and My servant whom I chose,” in order that you know and believe Me, and understand that I am He; before Me no god was formed and after Me none shall be.”

“I told and I saved, and I made heard and there was no stranger among you, and you are My witnesses,” says Jehovah, “and I am God”.

  • Leviticus (19:1-2; Bold not in the Bible):

“And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the entire congregation of the Children of Israel, and say to them, holy shall you be, for I, Jehovah, your God, am holy.”

Question: What “being holy” requires?

Answer: Keeping the highest moral standards, as specified in The Ten Commandments and derivatives, and as specified in some detail in Leviticus, Chapter 19 (as quoted above), and elsewhere in Torah. (see also “Becoming Holy” — The Bible Prescription).

Question: What would occur if the Jewish people decided to cease serving as “The Chosen People”, as “Witnesses”, and violate the covenant with Jehovah?

Answer: Prophet Ezekiel does not mince his words, delivering his historic stern warning to the Jewish people (Ezekiel 20:32,33):

“But that which comes unto your mind shall be not, that you are saying, ‘Let us be like the nations, like the families of the lands, to serve wood and stone.’  As I live, says Jehovah God, if not with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm and with poured out fury will I be king over you.” (see also Four Major Bible Messages).

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My Research on the Bible and Biblical Hebrew

The True Meaning of the First Commandment

The first of the Ten Commandments is bizarre:

“I am Jehovah, your God, Who took you out of the land of Egypt, out of a house of slaves.” (Exodus 20:2).

This “Commandment” is bizarre on two counts.

First, The Bible starts with God as creator:

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1).

Why, then, God introduces Himself as God of History (“Who took you”), and not as God of creation (“In the beginning God created”)?

Secondly, unlike the rest of the Ten Commandments, articulated as commands, this commandment is articulated differently, not as a command but as a statement of fact (“I am Jehovah…” God of history). Why is this bizarre way of “commanding”?

To answer these two puzzles, it is instructive to learn that in the original Hebrew there are no “Commandments”. Only Devarim (from the Hebrew verb “to speak”, namely, Divine communication in the form of a dialogue). In Genesis 1 God does not “Speak”. God “says”!! And this implies a monologue, namely, a Divine command. God command is obligatory. It is always fulfilled, to the letter (Genesis 1). Conversely, the Ten Commandments are Divine utterances, out of a dialogue (“speaking”). And in this dialogue, human beings preserve their most basic condition of existence, Free Will. We, human beings, are free to decide whether we wish to pursue the Ten Commandments, or otherwise. The Ten Commandments are for us to decide, out of the precious free-will, bestowed on us by our Creator.

Once the dependence on free-will in pursuing the “Ten Commandments” is properly grasped, the First Commandment is bizarre no more.

Regarding the first puzzlement (“Why God of History and not God of Creation”), the First Commandment requires of us to accept, out of free will, that God rules history. Therefore, there is purpose to life on Earth, both for the collective (in the form of nations and other forms of societies), and for our own personal existence on planet Earth (“Divine Providence”). God of Creation is easy to adopt as fact. It seems logical (to many, not all…). Not so with God of History. This requires a high level of faith. It is not nearly self-evident (as God of Creation is). God of history hides Himself. Prophet Isaiah recognizes the difficulty, and states this in no ambiguous terms:

“Indeed, You are a God Who conceals Himself, the God of Israel, Savior.” (Isaiah 45:15).

Therefore, addressing the second puzzlement (“why the First Commandment is articulated as statement of fact”), this commandment is indeed a command. It requires of us to accept as fact an invisible, unprovable fact. The unobservable reality that Jehovah is indeed also God of History, looking out for what transpires in His world, and leading it towards its Ultimate Goal:

“And I will reveal Myself in My greatness and in My holiness and will be recognized in the eyes of many nations, and they will know that I am Jehovah.” (Ezekeil 38:23).

“For then I will convert the peoples to a pure language that all of them call in the name of Jehovah, to worship Him of one accord.” (Zephaniah 3:9).

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My Research on the Bible and Biblical Hebrew

Gal in… Exodus

An example for the realization of Gal (see this post/podcast), as delivered in… Exodus (second book of Torah).

The fundamental thesis of the “Gal Post” is that the repeated cycles of exile (Galut) and salvation (Geula) of the Jewish people aimed at a single Divine mission:

To spread recognition of Jehovah to the nations of the world.

This endeavor, carried out by the Jewish people throughout generations of agonized Jewish history, had been assigned to the Jews with Abraham’s Covenant, and thence in repeated assertions of the Covenant at Mount Sinai and later on (as described in Torah).

The two monotheistic faiths, emerging from Judaism, are testimony to the triumph and success of this endeavor.

Surprisingly, a demonstration to realization of the mission, as prescribed by Gal, is delivered in… Exodus (second book of Torah).

Israel is in exile (Galut) in Egypt. Moses, with his older brother, Aharon, are called upon to go to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and demand:

“Let my people go”.

The story of the transformation of the king, his change of heart, from total denial of the existence of Jehovah, to recognizing the concealed “God of the Israelites”, to asking for Jehovah’s blessing — this story is unfolding before our bewildered eyes in Exodus.

The following verses describe Pharaoh’s initial attitude towards Jehovah (denial), and the process of Pharaoh’s fundamental transformation (acceptance):

  • Start: Complete denial:

 “And Pharaoh said: Who is Jehovah that I should obey his voice to let Israel go; I know not Jehovah, nor will I let Israel go” (Exodus 5:2);

  • Then: Admission; recognizing the uniqueness of Jehovah:

 “And Pharaoh sent to call for Moses and Aharon, and said to them: I have sinned this time. Jehovah is righteous and I and my people are wicked. Entreat Jehovah that there be no more mighty thundering and hail…” (Exodus 9:27-28);

“And Pharaoh hurriedly called for Moses and Aharon, and he said: I have sinned against Jehovah your God and against you; Now, forgive my sin only this once, I pray thee, and entreat Jehovah your God that He removed from me this death only” (Exodus 10:16-17);

  • Finally, asking for Jehovah’s blessing:

“Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone and bless me also” (Exodus 12:32).