Category: Applied Theology

Come Together

On By Bp. Justin ElwellIn Applied Theology, InspirationLeave a comment

The Torah portion of Vayakhel, “and he assembled,” begins:

וַיַּקְהֵל מֹשֶׁה אֶת־כָּל־עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּה יְהוָה לַעֲשֹׂת אֹתָם

“And Moses gather together all the congregation of the children of Israel, and said to them, “These are the words that the Lord has commanded, that you do them.”

Moses, in the midst of the assembling of the components of the Tabernacle, קָהַל, calls together the assembly of Israel. Why?

Simple: TOGETHER.

The people of Israel, the individuals of the covenant community, were busy. Can you relate to busy? Scurrying about making, connecting, realizing the vision Moses revealed to them beginning in Exodus 25. They were on a mission.

Yet here, Moses “calls together,” in the same way that ἐκκλησία/ekklēsia (called out ones) is used in the Apostolic Scriptures, the people: “come here, together.”

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of this industrious camp, Moses assembles them and slows them down. He begins: “These are the words that the Lord has commanded, that you do them.” Hasn’t he already said these words time and again? One way or another, yes. Yet, he then turns to a completely new subject concerning what God has commanded:

שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תֵּעָשֶׂה מְלָאכָה וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי יִהְיֶה לָכֶם קֹדֶשׁ שַׁבַּת שַׁבָּתוֹן לַיהוָה

“Six days work is done, but the seventh day will be holy, a sabbath of rest unto the Lord.”

Busy. We are busy, running hither and yon, busy about our business, even that which may be called, holy work. Moses says, we are to do what the Lord has commanded, but we must also rest, an act of holy temporal worship resting our bodies. When we are consumed and distracted with “busy,” rest becomes a revelation.

Shabbat, or sabbath, is a break in time when we cease from doing, and experience life, family and community as the gift from the Lord that it is. The spiritual brakes applied, we rest, even from the holy labor of constructing the Tabernacle, in order to be His tabernacle, not alone but together.

Obviously, the command for Shabbat/Sabbath is not a new command in Exodus 35:2. It is, rather, a reminder. Even in the busyness of life, as important as the work is, we must pause, hear the call of our shepherd, and come together.

Sabbath, as revealed in Scripture, reminds us that even in our absence from the assembly that we are still part of the family. Our people, whether near or far, as still gathering, praying, singing, rejoicing, and fellowshipping together. This thought stayed the feeling of homesickness when on the mission field in different places in the world. Even alone, I was part of a together community connected by the Spirit of God.

As I walked across the empty, quiet parking lot at our congregational building this past Shabbat, the holy praise, testimonies, and joyous fellowship was still vivid in my mind. A building full of saints, young and old, stepping out of the busy flow of life to share the precious commodity of time. Even those not present, were present, as His Spirit is not limited by space, place or time. The silence was a sharp contrast to the sound present only moments before; yet both the sound of human presence and absence is necessary, as one anticipates the other.

In the Gospels, we find scenes of Messiah Yeshua/Jesus sitting at the mount to teach, seating the masses to receive food, sitting with His disciples to sing, dip, and recline. Yeshua knew that He was heading toward the holiest work of redemption, but as He made His way there over the weeks, months and years, He still stopped, rested and enjoyed the company of those He loved, even those He challenged. He even went off to the quiet, lonely places to pray.

Dear reader, you may think you have been caught up in the busyness of life for too long to answer the call of the shepherd to assembly, nevertheless, He is still calling. You are still welcome, and there remains a place that He has set just for you. The command of Shabbat in Exodus 35:2 is that invitation in the midst of the busy assembly, it is the shepherds call to you and me to assemble with those we love, and those who challenge us. It is a call to the presence of the Living God Himself.

Be well. Shalom.

My Shepherd and Friend

On By Bp. Justin ElwellIn Applied Theology, InspirationLeave a comment

In Psalm 23:1 David writes, or rather, sings as a song:

מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד יְהוָה רֹעִי לֹא אֶחְסָר

“A song of David, “The Lord is my shepherd, I have no lack.”

Sheep in a field do not often move in a straight way. They will nibble here, and then over there, wandering until they are gathered by the shepherd. As they munch away, they become oblivious as to this way or that, as they are being filled by the plentiful grass of the green pasture.

Then the sound of the shepherds voice breaks the silence, and the low rumble of hooves amidst the pasture land can be heard and felt. He is gathering them to lead them home.

David continues: “He leads me in, בְמַעְגְּלֵי־צֶדֶק, circuitous paths of righteousness for His names sake.”

The Language David uses is interesting, as he writes בְמַעְגְּלֵי־צֶדֶק, the way we are going is well-worn, even entrenched, but it is not direct as we may assume. Why? It is difficult, if not impossible for us, from the perspective of a sheep, to know what we are avoiding as we walk the way home. But we trust the shepherd, our friend, to lead us in straightness (righteousness), even if winding, for the sake of His reputation.

In this week’s Torah portion of כִּי תִשָּׂא/Ki Tisa, Moses experiences the heart of what David is expressing from the perspective of a sheep.

After the sin of the Golden Calf, when Moses pleads with the Lord to not destroy Israel, he asks of the Lord: וַיֹּאמַר הַרְאֵנִי נָא אֶת־כְּבֹדֶךָ, “And he said, “Please show me your glory.” In awe of the covenant Lord’s mercy and forgiveness, and His making a straightway from a wayward path, Moses desires to see the majesty of the Father’s heart.

The Lord says: you cannot see My face and live (Ex. 33:20), but I will set you in the cleft of the rock, and cover you with My hand, and then, when I pass by “you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen” (Ex.33:23).

As the mercy and forgiveness of God moves ahead of us, we who are protected in His Rock, covered by His hand, cannot see how He makes our wrong ways right, only that He has and will, as Paul so beautifully says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Ro. 8:28).

See, as the Good Shepherd moves ahead of us, and we respond to His voice penetrating the silence of His pasture, we, His sheep, follow Him. He, our Shepherd and Friend, Savior and Lord, leads us in this life “in circuitous paths of righteousness for His names sake.” We often do not, and simply cannot, understand how or why Yeshua/Jesus is leading us as He is, but we trust that it is the safest way.

I know many of you, dear readers, are asking the Lord, “Why are we going this way?” Again, at times we do not know how far we have wandered while munching in the field, and the most direct route to where we know peace and safety are, is not always the safest way.

In hindsight, after the glorious mercy and forgiveness does its work, then we can see how and why things were indirect, or even entrenched switchbacks.

Just remember that the Shepherd is with you, and it is His song you are singing. How does David end this most familiar of psalms?

“Surely goodness and mercy shall pursue me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

When you think worry or fear that is pursuing you, as He leads you, David says, it is actually the security of His goodness and mercy that is your rearguard along the way to His house, where you will rest forever (Jn. 14), with your Shepherd and Friend.

Be well. Shalom.