On LogandSpeck there has been much discussion about teaching. Concomitant with teaching must one not also consider the necessity of testing? How will the Teacher know whether the disciples, talmidim, students are grasping [apprehending] the principles taught if there is not an opportunity for the one taught to be evaluated? Most of this, of course, in Scripture, would not be a written exam, but a living out, or not, of what was taught. Again, we can fall back to the parent and child example; the parent observes whether the child follows what the parent has taught. In the parent/child example, as in many folks’ interpretation of Scripture, comes that age-old struggle, and our struggle here, with whether some teaching is called a “command” or a teaching, a word from an authority figure to one under that authority. If you teach your child not to cross the street without stopping and looking both ways, that is a life-saving teaching. Is that a command or a teaching? And you go with your child on walks many times to see whether they are following your instruction. That is what we might call an “experiential test.” We as the parent experience the child’s acts, the child experiences the life encounter. And as crossing the street in front of more than a ton of rapidly-moving steel, there are consequences in the Synthetic grasp of life.
Our loving Father knows this, so he does test us, and generally gives feedback to help us to correct our misunderstanding before it becomes life-threatening. The design of Creation brings consequences, some quite serious, which can be avoided with guidance. And we do have free will. We can choose to listen or not, but consequences result if we choose other than the way instructed.
• Deuteronomy 30:19 ESV
19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,
Earlier we spoke of Eli the Priest, who was given multiple chances to correct the behavior of his two sons and did not, resulting in all three dying. Let us look at some examples of testing in Scripture, this “experiential testing,” that we more clearly understand. It provides excellent understanding of the “Synthetic Grasp” as well. The writer has spoken before of desiring to give examples that appear in both the תַּנָךְ (Hebrew) and Greek Scriptures. Crossing between the two not only helps to assure multiple witnesses, but helps to solidify the tapestry symbolism that the writer has been sharing. In the upcoming exegetical example, looking at Elijah [a prophet in the תַּנָךְ ], the writer begins his journey with a passage from James, in the GS. So here will the “testing” discussion cross between the Hebrew and Greek. Abraham is used as an example of faith several times in the GS (Ro 4:1-4; Ga 3:7-9; He 11:8-19). Here we will share one sentence which speaks of the testing of Abraham.
• Hebrews 11:17-19 NKJV 17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” (Gn 21:12) 19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. [writer’s emphasis]
The reader should read the entire context of this event (Gn 22:1-19), to have details in mind. A brief synopsis will suffice for our purposes. But note that this incident is very important in both Hebrew faith and Christian faith. Abraham is the the Father of all the descendants of the children of God, through Isaac, his son. (Picture by Rembrandt, BibleOdyssey.org) The incident is called the Binding of Isaac ( עֲקֵידַת יִצְחַק ) [Aqedah or Akedah], in Yehudean and Messianic literature. Abraham and Sarah struggled with inability to have a son for many, many years, and it was only through miraculous intervention that Abraham at age 100 and Sarah at age 90 brought forth their son, Isaac. Many struggles led to that point, and a covenant was made between God and Abraham that this child would be the father of many nations, thus there was a lot riding on this young man Isaac, emotionally and physically.
The Hebrew word for “test” that we will be exploring is ESD: h5254. נָסָה nâsâ; a primitive root; to test; by implication, to attempt: — adventure, assay, prove, tempt, try. AV (36) – prove 20, tempt 12, assay 2, adventure 1, try 1 You can see that the KJV, which is what Strong’s references, translates it most commonly as “prove,” so you see that sense of “to test,” the experiential test, proving one’s faith or proving one’s obedience. The first use of the word נָסָה is in the Aqedah passage:
• Genesis 22:1-2 NKJV 1 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested נָסָה Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
This was a test of obedience from God, of Abraham, and the Hebrews 11:17-19 passage gives the gist, with Abraham obviously “passing the test.” The Father provided the ram to be offered in Isaac’s place. The next occurrence of נָסָה is not of an individual, but of Israel as a nation. Immediately after the crossing of the Red [or Reed] Sea, there is a song of triumph by both Moshe and his sister Miriam. Immediately after, the nation had traveled three days in the wilderness and were thirsty, coming upon some bitter water, and through the guidance of YHWH, Moshe made the water drinkable.
• Exodus 15:25-26 NKJV 25 So he cried out to YHWH, and YHWH showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested נָסָה them, 26 and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of YHWH your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am YHWH who heals you.”
Here, the father is very explicit. Here, as so many times in the Torah, the teaching, he makes very clear the expectations and the consequences of following the expectations. This is one of the common “if/ then” statements, basically saying if you obey, you will not have the evil repercussions that Egypt suffered. The next occasion of the word נָסָה is in Exodus 16. The reader will see Exodus 16:4 a number of times in upcoming discussions, as a very key passage; here again נָסָה is seen. But before we look at that passage, there is a passage in Numbers (Nm 15:32-36) that would be good for the reader to review, also referred to elsewhere on LogandSpeck. It is a perfect example of the Synthetic worldview and the community of necessity acting to remedy the situation. It ties directly to the test that we are about to discuss in Ex 16. Read the entire chapter of Ex 16 to get the context.
• Exodus 16:4 ESV 4 Then YHWH said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test נָסָה them, whether they will walk in my law or not.
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The passage is all about manna, the “bread from heaven,” by which they were sustained, and about the keeping of Sabbath. Once again, YHWH is very specific with Moshe, and notice the word translated as “that” here, “that I may test them.” The word is [BHS with BDB] לְמַעַן “in order that; for the sake of; on account of.” Precisely, it means “in order that I may test them.” Here is demonstrated God’s purpose, his Will. Another important word to point out, which will be discussed again later, is the word translated here as “portion,” which is h1697. דָּבָר ḏâḇâr, which most commonly means “word.”
Metaphorical meanings for bread will be mentioned later, as relates to teaching. One can see how here there can be a double meaning of both spiritual and physical sustenance, actually both with the bread and with the Sabbath. But mankind is expected to gather this sustenance daily, as a test, except on the Sabbath. Tests can come in different forms. There are two basic forms that the reader should be aware of, as they are seen not only in Scripture, but in life [which is why they are in the book that is a revealing of the nature of life]. Hold in mind the above thought of Sabbath and daily sustenance for a few moments to be connected with another example of testing.
First, some groundwork, and then, we will wind up the נָסָה nâsâ discussion. And finally we will get back to the sustenance thought and a parallel example.
• The groundwork
We have gotten somewhat familiar with the von Rad “Synthetic” discussion and with the thoughts of “blessings and curses” representing the dual sides of consequences of our actions, that these are built into the system of Creation. We had a discussion earlier about the writer’s presentation on the Torah Portion Ki Tavo, some of the “if/thens” and blessings and curses in that setting. Now, as groundwork for the present discussion, the writer will take the reader away from this English terminology. There is a purpose in doing so. To quote the TWOT article on the word h0779. אָרַר ’ārar, there are at least six [at least nine if one takes various forms from the roots] Hebrew words translated into English as “curse.” “To group all of them together under the one general English equivalent, ‘to curse,’ is much too superficial. The distinctions between each have been thoroughly worked out in the monograph of Brichto.”*
Indeed, if one looks at Brichto (1963) this is quite clear. As has been pointed out previously by this writer, Brichto once again notes “a complex of biblical terms which are variously, and often indiscriminately, rendered in English (and in other Western languages) by the word “curse” or by its near equivalents.” [Writer’s emphasis] Brichto’s is a well-done, very academic investigation into not only the six most common Hebrew words translated as curse, including the one of our particular focus, but also investigating the related Akkadian words to clarify. The intent here is not to go into the detail of all that Brichto (1963) delineates well. The intent is to look specifically at the word h0779. אָרַר ’ârar and its use in both the context of this “testing” chapter and the chapters about Synthetic grasp. Though Brichto references another von Rad book [entitled Genesis] in his bibliography, there is no indication that Brichto was aware of von Rad’s thoughts on “Synthetic Apprehension.” However, as the reader will see, the discoveries that he makes fit precisely with von Rad’s concept.
Brichto’s research has led him to fascinating insights of the “curses” on the serpent in Gn 3:14, Cain in Gn 4:11 and Canaan in Gn 9:25, which fit the Synthetic picture well. Our primary focus will be on the Deuteronomy passages referred to previously, Dt 27:15-26 and Dt 28:16-19. The form of h0779. אָרַר ’ârar we are interested in is ,אָר֤וּר which is the passive participle. All verses using this form are noted in the footnote.** We will pick up the discussion of Dt 27 and 28 below, comparing “blessings and curses,” but there are some very important points from Brichto (1963) that should be highlighted first. The thoughts all coalesce into a “tapestry,” once the threads are brought together.
Surrounding nations and peoples of the Hebrew people were polytheistic. The languages influenced one another, which is why many linguistic researchers look into the Ugaritic- and Akkadian-associated words. Brichto found that the cognates in surrounding cultures tended to use the ארר -related words in term of spells, magic, and could be seen in relation to their multiple gods and in terms of their soothsayers, sorcerers, magicians, necromancers. This is all strictly forbidden for YHWH’s people.*** Instead, the vision of the Hebrew people is that of the One God, the One who created all and who established the framework of all [Torah], and thus, though in the surrounding cultures the “binding” was on the basis of a “spell” from a magician, or a “curse” actively placed by one of many gods, the Hebraic view, the “Synthetic” worldview, is that of the passive participle, אָר֤וּר , that the “indiscriminately” translated word in these passages is not a “curse” brought about by an outside entity, but rather the meaning is that we are “bound” by the consequences of our choices, our actions. Our recourse is to appeal to the merciful YHWH, by our words and our actions [repentance]. In addition, there are two distinct Hebrew words for bless, blessing, one of which is never used of either God blessing man or man blessing God. (emphasis added)((TWOT article on h0833. אָשַׁר ’āšar / אֶשֶׁר (aesher)))
In order to clarify the terminology used here, we will use two distinct words and the brief definitions of these words from the EDBH in order that the reader understands precisely what is intended, with the “bound” thought from Brichto. Recall in the Foreword it was mentioned that the writer had no problem indicating where there were potential issues with the Bible translations that we have available today, thus the word “inspired” would be used rather than “infallible.” The reader has already seen, and will see more instances where this is reinforced so clearly. This is why the stress on going back to original wording when possible. The words most commonly used in Parashah 50, Ki Tavo, especially in chapters 27 and 28 will be our reference words. For “blessings” we will use h1288. בָּרַךְ ḇâraḵ, and for “curses,” h0779. אָרַר ’ârar.
This is where one must drop the assumptive reasoning, erasing the thought of “blessing” and “curse,” and use the EDBH renderings. EDBH does not use the vowel pointings, so the words will be rendered as ברך and ארר . For ברך , the EDBH defines as “to power growth and to spur prosperity.” For ארר , the EDBH lists to “isolate, bring ruin and to weaken internally.” If one reads back through Dt 27 and 28 with these thoughts in mind, it may help with understanding. EDBH does not look at the different verb forms at all. If Brichto’s points are included, the “passive participle,” it would suggest, “being isolated, brought to ruin or weakened, bound,” as a result of our own actions for our Deuteronomy passages.
The point of laying this groundwork is twofold. The first is to remind the reader of the cause and effect aspect of Creation. The second is, in the context of this chapter on testing, to point out that tests can come in many forms. In particular, tests may come as a result of trials from ארר and as a result of prosperity from ברך . This will be made clear through examples.
• Return to the נָסָה nâsâ discussion.
• Deuteronomy 8:2 ESV 2 And you shall remember the whole way that YHWH your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing נָסָה you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.
h5254. נָסָה nâsâ occurs 36 times in the תַּנָךְ , and it will not be necessary to cover all of those. Some pertinent verses are listed in the footnote.▸ The word does not only apply to God’s testing man. Of the eleven verses or passages listed, all but the one about the Queen of Sheba with Solomon are “experiential” testing. The Queen may have tested Solomon experientially as well, but that would be one’s own interpretation. It seems at the literal level that she was testing him verbally. The longer passage listed [the reader should read context even on the single verses listed] is interesting, as King Hezekiah was not a good king and had become sick to the point of death [this could be considered an ארר]. And he repented. And God lifted the illness from him. And then it is noted that God tested נָסָה him to know all that was in his heart. In other words, God wanted to know if this was a sincere repentance.
In (a) later Post(s) (an extended exegesis/midrash example), we look a lot at another king [Ahab] who was evil and who repented or turned at one point. The study does not get into the later time when he again turned to evil upon testing, and then suffered death as a result. (1K 21:17-22:40; 2Ch 32:31) God will test the heart, generally through life circumstances: experiential testing.
There are also mentions of testing in the GS.▸▸ Obviously this is a Greek word and not נָסָה , but the Mt 4:7 and Lk 4:12 verses, from the tempting of Yeshua do refer specifically to Dt 6:16, which refers to the passage in Ex 17:1-7, as listed. These are the best times to make certain one knows a direct translation from Hebrew to Greek, when it is a specific quotation [mentioned earlier]. The Hebrew word referred to is נָסָה in these passages. And the thrust is not testing YHWH. However, as is always the case, YHWH looks on the heart. Gideon tests YHWH in Judges 6:36-40 with a positive result, and Ahaz in Isaiah 7:10-17 says he will not test YHWH, but it is only and excuse, not going well for him.
In the Greek passages, Yeshua is also tested by a lawyer, and Paul tells followers not to test the Messiah. We will return to Yeshua’s temptation in the wilderness after some further discussion. Notice that the thoughts in these verses tend to be as a parent with a child, “that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end [Dt 8:6],” “testing you, to know whether you love YHWH your God with all your heart and with all your soul [Dt 13:3],” “in order to test Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of YHWH [Jg 2:22],” “They were for the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of YHWH [Jg 3:4],” for some examples.
Note also that this testing does not necessarily come from an “active agent,” but as a consequence of our choices, our actions [Synthetic]. If we change our course, the consequences may change as well. “Experiential testing,” “proving.” Another word used in a similar vein, is h6884. צָרַף ṣârap̱ , meaning to test or try, also “refine,” as in the refiner’s fire. צָרַף ṣârap̱ is used in parallel to נָסָה nâsâ in Ps 26:
• Psalms 26:2 NASB 2 Examine me, O YHWH, and try (h5254. נָסָה nâsâ) me; Test (h6884. צָרַף ṣârap̱ ) my mind and my heart.
A beautiful metaphorical usage of צָרַף ṣârap̱ is seen in Isaiah 48:1-11:
• Isaiah 48:10 NASB 10 “Behold, I have refined צָרַף you, but not as silver; I have tested (h0977. בָּחַר bāḥar) you in the furnace of affliction.
[here is another Hebrew word, h0977. בָּחַר bāḥar, for “tested,” usually meaning to take a close look at and make a choice] This has hopefully given a fair picture of testing in the context of an ארר -type setting.
• Testing in a more positive setting, sustenance
There are some areas in Scripture where it is not as clear whether it is a ברך or an ארר picture, or one might consider elements of both. Take for example the passages referred to with Yeshua being tempted in the wilderness. One would ordinarily think of a time of trial in the wilderness, fasting for forty days and forty nights, would be an experiential testing, not having “daily sustenance,” would fit the definition we have of ארר , “to isolate, bring ruin and to weaken internally, to be bound.” Indeed, this is what the adversary counted on with the temptations presented, such as turning the stones into bread. However, looking at what happens immediately prior to the temptations in the telling,
• Matthew 3:16 – 4:3 ESV 6 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” 1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him…
This “negative experience,” ארר , is immediately preceded by the Holy Spirit coming to rest on him, and the voice from heaven claiming him as “beloved son,” which also fits our criterion for ברך , to power growth and to spur prosperity. The Holy Spirit is the ברך , but she is also the one who leads Yeshua into the wilderness experience ארר . It is through the “testing” by the adversary that Yeshua is able to stand upon God’s Word. Note his defense in each of the three temptations is to turn to Torah. (Mt 4:1-11) He knows he can pass the test when living by those words.
Compare this to the eighth chapter of Deuteronomy. (Please read.) We introduced the “returning to נָסָה “ section by quoting verse 8:2. Consider again, this is a wilderness situation and God is very clear in stating that this is a humbling type of testing, an ארר type situation, but it is also to help the people see the great blessing ברך that his feeding them with manna is. The people are to see that God is the sustainer by means of this test. And notice further the logic (Dt 8:11-18), that if the people follow the commandments, they will be humbled and tested, “to do you good in the end [prosperity ברך ],” but again there is a “test” with the prosperity, to remember that it is God who provides the prosperity, not our own power and the might of our own hands that have brought the prosperity.
Moses has a similar situation of “positive and negative” as a test. (Ex 34:1-28) He is in the Presence of the Living God for forty days and nights, no food or water, and receives from God the Ten Words. It is a wilderness experience, forty days of isolation and deprivation, yet the incredible opportunity not only for him but also the people to “power growth and spur prosperity.”
Now let’s move to the third type of testing, one that, to the reader of Scripture, and to us as we live our lives in prosperity, ברך , appears not to be a test, but is a test. ברך as test will take a little more explanation because it is not as explicit as Yeshua’s temptation in the wilderness, with his statements “it is written.” First, let’s set the stage: the reader should study the instructions concerning kings from God through Moshe in Deuteronomy. (Dt 17:14-20) Seven verses are given, very explicit. There are a few matters to point out. First the king is to actually write for himself a copy of the Torah and read in it all his days. We know from educational experience that the writing in addition to the reading, repetitively, helps engrain what is taught. In addition, there is a passage, when the people of Israel were first calling for a king (1S 8:10-18) in the book of 1 Samuel, showing God’s warning to the people the downside in their lives of having a king. The passage is also brief and to the point.
There have already been several allusions to Solomon in this book. In order to make our point in detail, please read carefully the passage about Solomon’s dream. (1K 3:1-14) Solomon uses all the right words in his approach to God, describing himself as a little child and as God’s servant. He speaks of being in the midst of God’s great people. And he asks for the abilities to be able to justly rule the people.
• 1 Kings 3:9 NASB 9 So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
And reading on, this request was pleasing to God. Recall our mention of King Hezekiah above, and his repentance. Repentance pleased God as well. Yet God continued to “test” him regarding his sincerity [his heart]. (1K 21:17-22:40; 2Ch 32:31) Ahab was mentioned above as well. Because Solomon did not ask for long life or riches or victory over his enemies, God was pleased. The test of sincerity comes then. [note in the first three verses of the chapter, God had plenty of reason to test Solomon’s sincerity because he was worshipping other gods.]
God gives Solomon his request and in addition prosperity and abundance, ברך which Solomon did not ask for. And then comes the “if/then” wording, the test:
• 1 Kings 3:14 NASB 14 “If you walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and commandments, as your father David walked, then I will prolong your days.”
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There is much evidence in Scripture of Solomon’s wisdom and discernment, with which he was ברך supplied abundantly. ((1K 4:29-34; 2Ch 9:5-6, 9:22-23.)) The first real example given of his discernment and wisdom regards two women disputing over a baby. (1K 3:16-28) Think back now to the two passages read earlier, the Instructions for Kings and the Warnings about Kings. And then look at how Solomon’s kingship progressed. Notice that he acquired many, many horses, even from Egypt, and much silver and gold, “silver as (common as) stone”. (1K 10:22-29) Take note as well, he had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. (1K 11:3)
And, regarding Samuel’s prophecy, read of Solomon’s building of his own house and the Temple,273 especially noting:
• 1 Kings 5:13 NASB 13 Now King Solomon levied forced laborers from all Israel; and the forced laborers numbered 30,000 men.
Also read in 2 Chronicles 10:1-11 the people describing to Solomon’s successor, his son Rehoboam, that the yoke had been heavy during Solomon’s reign. This means not only the many conscripted workers involved in the building projects, but the taxes upon the people as well. Based upon the Scriptures read, would you say that Solomon passed “the test,” or failed?
It was in the reign of his son, Rehoboam, that the Kingdom was divided (1K 12; 2Ch 10) in the year 930 BC. It remains divided now three thousand years later [not to mention dispersions, Temples being destroyed, etc. since that time]. It would appear this was not a passing “grade.” And this was a test based solely on a picture of ברך blessing. Prosperity and abundance easily bring about complacency. There are many warnings about complacency in Scripture (please read), similar to that in Deuteronomy 8▸▸▸:
• Deuteronomy 8:10-14 NASB 10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless YHWH your God for the good land which He has given you. 11 “Beware that you do not forget YHWH your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today; 12 otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, 13 and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget YHWH your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. …
• Deuteronomy 8:16-18 (NASB Strong’s) 16 In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end. 17 Otherwise, you may say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.’ 18 But you shall remember YHWH your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
There is also a Hebrew idiom, h8105. שֶׁמֶר šemer h7087. קָפָא qāp̱ā’, [settling on the lees or thickening on the dregs, obviously referring to wine], which means complacency. (Jr 48:11-13; Zp 1:12-13) It is interesting if the reader reviewed the Amos verse, that Samaria was an example of complacency. Yeshua refers to this in his discussion with the Samarian woman at the well. (John 4:20-21)
Tests can be “trials,” but often are blessings to see how they are handled, God wanting to assess the hearts of the people. If we as a country living in great prosperity, ברך, were to assess ourselves we are undoubtedly being assessed, how would the reader say we would rank on the “complacency” scale? How like Solomon do we seem to be? This writer has, in his life, experienced tests of both kinds, travails and prosperity, struggles and abundance. We all pass some and fail some. Perhaps had this writer listened earlier, there would have been fewer failures. We can be thankful that our God is merciful, oh-so merciful, and “long of nose,” very “calm in spirit,” longsuffering. We can be thankful that he gives us a guide, both in his Word and in his Spirit. Think of all the times it has been appropriate to use parent/child metaphors to explain how the Father deals with us, perhaps why Yeshua calls him Abba, Father. God is a loving parent to us, his children. He loves us unconditionally. He is amazingly patient with us. He teaches us and tests us, and disciplines us as needed to help us ((Ps 94:12, 119:67, 119:75; Pr 3:11-12, 13:24, 23:13; Ac 17:11; He 12:3-11; Re 3:19-20)) learn the way to abundant life.
From the second half of Luke 12:48, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” The writer would like to challenge the reader to look at some words being paired here that you are not used to seeing related. The reader will see how the topic fits with the current discussion. It will, once again, require a stepping-back to think about some verses and words in a somewhat different way than “usual,” even if you are an experienced reader of the Bible. Step back from assumptions and consider; that is all that the writer asks. It will mean a slightly different interpretation of some words you have heard, different from the common English translations. See Appendix 1 for the full definition of the words, noting that the definitions are all from our usual resources, only linking them together through the definitions given, and including them with the present topic. What you are asked to do is look at the familiar word from the GS, “mammon” and see how it may be related to the word previously mentioned, h4100. מָה māh as “what,” h4478. מָן mān, as “manna,” and h4513. מָנַע māna’ as apportioned, or measured out [and some other similar, apparently related words, such as we discussed with “truth” and “right hand”].
We are used to seeing translators use the Greek word g3126. μαμμωνᾶς mammōnas for mammon to mean riches or wealth.. The definitions listed, you will see, certainly can include those meanings, but really has a broader meaning: anything that we put our confidence in. When it is the things that we are given [as gifts from God, be they talent, riches, family, good health, whatever] that we put our confidence in, rather than God, the one who gives, it is the “gift” that becomes our idol. Those gifts are all so fleeting. Only God is faithful, true. The gift of manna from God to the people in the wilderness was accompanied by a test of obedience with the Sabbath. One of the underlying themes of Sabbath, the seventh day, was that of testing obedience to the oft-repeated instruction [seven times, the number of spiritual completeness], “six days you shall work, but on the seventh you shall rest.” [variations thereupon] ((Ex 20:9-10, 23:12, 31:15, 34:21, 35:2; Lv 23:3; Dt 5:13)) What we work for is a gift from God. The manna, though clearly provided, “from heaven,” required the people to gather it and prepare it. There was work involved. Just as our jobs, our amazing gifts of talent that our Father gives us, we should work to make the most of them on six days, but on the seventh, stop to remember that even though we think we produce the rewards with our hard work, that all things are gifts from our Creator [some call that ‘grace’]. That Sabbath day is a day to praise him, to thank him for his blessings upon us.
Yeshua reminded us that we cannot serve both God and the things in which we put our confidence, “mammon.”# The writer asks the reader to read carefully over Appendix 1, the definitions, the referred-to verses, with context, that the picture can become clear. The theme is repeated throughout the Bible, beginning to end. This is just one more instance. We cannot idolize our confidence, in ourselves, our talents, our money, our good fortune. Only One is constant. All else is inconstant. Grass and flowers wither. ((e.g. Ps 129:6; Is 40:7-8; Jam 1:11; 1P 1:22-25.))
One more word [“literally”- a play on words] about testing. In searching out Keywords, there is a Hebrew word that, when present in a context, appears to flag to a passage involving “test.” It does not necessarily point to whom will be tested, though it often does; it does appear consistently to be a flag for a testing situation. The Hebrew word is a verb in a form this book has not previously mentioned, the “cohortative form” or mood. Wiktionary lists the cohortative form of a verb as “Inflected to express plea, insistence, imploring, self-encouragement, wish, desire, intent, command, purpose, or consequence.” English does not have a cohortative form of verbs, but you will see that the common translation into English in Scripture of the Hebrew verb h1980 הָלַךְ hâlaḵ meaning to walk, when in the cohortative is “Let us go.” Occasionally it is “let us walk.” The Hebrew word looks like this: נֵלְכָ֖ה . The reader can see it is the change in its form from הָלַךְ to נֵלְכָ֖ה that indicates the cohortative mood. One can find most of the referenced verses simply by searching “Let us go” in English. And of course the Hebrew word does not appear in the GS, but it appears that the usage of this phrase, “Let us go” remains as such an idiom in the Greek as well. All the verses are listed in the footnote,## but some examples are shown here.
The first use is in:
• Genesis 33:12 BHS וַיּ֖אֹמֶר נִסְעָ֣ה •וְנֵלֵ֑כָה וְאֵלְכָ֖ה לְנֶגְדֶּֽךָ׃ 12
• Genesis 33:12-14 KJV 12 And he said, Let us take our journey, and •let us go•, and I will go before thee. 13 And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me: and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die. 14 Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant: and I will lead on softly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able to endure, until I come unto my lord unto Seir.
Jacob has just come from his wrestling incident with God at Peniel and has been renamed Israel, as at the new man that he is. His walk has been changed. His first test, of his discernment, is how to deal with Esau, over whom he has been distraught for many years.
• John 11:5-16 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “•Let us go• to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “(Lord) κύριος kúrios, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “•Let us also go•, that we may die with him.”
This then, leads to the raising of Lazarus from the dead, which event led to the final plot by the evil leaders of the Sadducees [a limited number of people, people in positions of power threatened by Yeshua’s challenge of the “status quo,” not “all Jews”] to kill Yeshua. (John 11:45-53) In a later post, the reader will see Caiaphas’s prophecy from this passage. [The Sanhedrin was likely mixed Sadducees and Pharisees; not all were present at Yeshua’s trial. Annas [former high priest] and Caiaphas [high priest at the time] were Sadducees, according to Flusser (2007) and Josephus. Notes from Josephus indicate the Sadducees were much harsher in judgment than the Pharisees.
Comments have been made off and on on this site about interconnections and cycles, that it is challenging to know where to enter a closed circle. There is a comment from the personal experience of this writer that is hard to know exactly where to place it. It refers back to a comment made in the Context Post, but really is best placed after von Rad’s presentation and partially fits here with the thoughts of “experiential testing.” Thus, it will be shared here. We previously mention was made of the families of children cared for at our hospital. All people have life challenges. It is not to say that these families are the only ones that do. But their circumstance brings clearly into focus the point of “walking in another man’s shoes.”
Treatments provided for some of the limitations these children had were at times quite extensive, requiring much in the way of follow-through by patients and families. Expectations were laid out in the beginning, and teaching about how difficult the months follow-through would be. Frequent follow-up was arranged to provide encouragement and guide the family over certain hurdles that may have arisen. Investment of time and energy on the part of the patient and family were high. Expectations of significant improvement were also high, to make all the effort worthwhile. The medical team would always do their best to stress what a large task the family was undertaking. The follow-up treatment plan given was that which the medical team had seen work best. When the patient and family was seen for follow-up, assessments were done to see how they were progressing, and to be able to recognize areas in which the patient might be lagging behind what was expected at that point in recovery. These assessments helped the team identify those “hurdles” and try to find ways to modify the strategy. It is in this rehabilitation time that the years of establishing a relationship beforehand were important. It is in these very challenging times that the family and patient need to know that they can look to the team for guidance through the challenge.
Patient care, like life, is all about interpersonal relationships, with people, and with those in positions of authority, most especially God. Nothing is more frustrating than to see written in a chart by some healthcare worker “patient is noncompliant.” Perhaps they are doing the best they can under very difficult circumstances. Far better to see in the chart, not only does the family have this huge stressor of a child with a chronic impairment plus recent major treatment, but they just lost their grandfather, or their house burned down, or they no longer have transportation. Some treatment centers discharge patients from care for “non-compliance.” Is this how we want God to treat us? We hope for mercy in the Father’s hands. We also should be merciful.
YHWH is not a God of retribution. His guidelines show us how to prosper. He evaluates us and guides us along the way. But would he actually give up on a person who is making an effort? That is not YHWH. Perhaps this is one reason the Messiah had to come, to walk in our shoes, to fully understand our circumstances. In the Post, Figures of Speech, we mentioned that Yeshua could clearly have called in legions of angels to prevent the terrible things that were happening and were going to happen to him. Or he could have faced the cross with no pain, no suffering – could just make it look good for others. It was critical for God’s plan that he be able to endure as a man. That was his success, that as man he submitted to the Father’s will.
We have looked at teaching and testing, and now need to look at “Teacher,” which will be the next Post. Then, in the next few Posts after that, we will draw more connections between the Greek and Hebrew Scriptures to help demonstrate the idea of one large tapestry, all with interwoven threads. Following that a brief return to the very opening Scripture, about Log and Speck. And then our extended exegesis / midrash, demonstrating use of some of the principles previously discussed, with more explanation in a “just-in-time” fashion.
* The Problem of Curse in the Hebrew Bible, Herbert Chanan Brichto, Society of Biblical Literature, Atlanta, GA, 1963.
** אָר֤וּר Gn 3:14, 4:11, 9:25, 27:29, 49:7; Nm 24:9; Dt 27:15-26, 28:16-19; Josh 6:26; Jg 21:1; 1S 14:24, 28; Jr 11:3, 17:5, 20:14-15, 48:10; Mal 1:14.
***Recall magicians in early encounters between Pharaoh and Moses in Ex 7 and 8. Also recall YHWH’s ban on such in Lv 19:31, 20; see also 1S 28; 2K 21:6, 23:24; 2Ch 33:6; Is 8:19, 19:3.
▸ Dt 8:2, 8:16, 13:3; Jg 2:22, 3:1, 3:4; 1K 10:1; 2Ch 9:1, 32:24-33; Ec 2:1, 7:23
▸▸ Mt 4:7 & Lk 4:12 -> Dt 6:16 -> Ex 17:1-7; Lk 10:25; 1Co 10:9
▸▸▸ Dt 32:15; Ps 73; Jr 5; Am 6:1; Lk 12:35-48 for some examples
# See Appendix 1 for related words and verses.
## 282 Gn 33:12-14, 37:17, 43:8; Ex 3:18, 5:3, 5:8, 5:17; Dt 13:1-14; Jg 19:27-30; 1S 9:6-10, 11:10-15, 26:6-12; 2K 6:1-7; Is 2:1-8; Mic 4:1-5; Zch 8:18-23;; Mk 1:35-45, 4:35-41; Lk 2:8-20, 8:22-25; John 11:5-16, 14:22-31; He 13:8-17.
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