It has been over a year since I did a blog here, except for the “Errata” entry. I am back now with some different perspectives and having continued my learning and writing since October of 2023. The first thing I wanted to do is stop the anonymity I have maintained since first opening the site. All the writings on LogAndSpeck.com, including the dissertation work in the section of Posts, and all the blogs since, have been done by me, Philip E. Gates. Some call me Phil, and some Dr. Phil (tongue-in-cheek reference only to the TV personality – I am not that guy).
I had maintained anonymity primarily because one of my big challenges with our social media world has been people with “followings,” and how everyone brags about how many thousands of “followers” they have. I never wanted a “following” – just wanted to share what I am learning. But a couple of months ago I had spoken with someone about potentially co-authoring a book with me from some of my writings, who challenged my decision to remain anonymous. I still don’t want a “following,” but I also don’t want anyone to think I have plagiarized writings if a book ever does come from all of this (based upon the explanation I was presented with). So, I am just letting anyone stumbling across the website know who the writer is – I am the one fully responsible, for better or worse. And for those who have previously read things I have written, I appreciate that you have struggled along with me as I have continued to learn. Undoubtedly there are things I wrote years ago that I would write differently now.
To back up for a moment, to things previously referred to, I have two doctorate degrees, one as a Medical Doctor, and one as a Doctor of Hebrew Letters. All writers are influenced by their own personal background, so I like to make clear the influences in my former life (I’m 75 now and mostly retired). Also I got my undergraduate degree in Architecture, so there may be some of that training that colors my thinking as well. I’ve also shared on the website before that my “religious training” has been varied, including Protestant, Catholic, and Hebrew Roots (some would call that “Messianic,” but our Yeshiva headmaster was very clear about not being called “Messianic.” The term he used was “Tanakhee Judaism,” which indicated that the instruction shied away from the writings of “the Sages,” what some call the Oral Torah, that was later written down in documents such as the Talmud, the Mishnah, the Gemara, etc. The term Tanakhee Judaism is a little misleading, because we also studied what most people call the New Testament. Basically, it was a doctorate program focused on the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures of the Bible, with a good deal more focus on the Hebrew Scriptures that had been touched on very lightly in my Christian upbringing.)
My fellow students were like me, thirsting for a lot more in-depth background of the Jewish faith that was the foundation of the teachings of Yeshua/Jesus, and looking for connections between the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures. I hope this all helps as you read. I do use many different translations of the Bible, and I read books by writers from many different denominations and faiths. I always try to be cognizant of the background whence they come. Just as I said above, each writer’s background influences her/his writing. In some recent writings shared with friends, not published online, I have stressed the idea of “Don’t trust anyone.” We must always double-check what is shared (including your double-checking what I say) – (“be Berean” – see Acts 17:10-11).
So, with that background now in the open, I want to share the thought for today. This relates in a way to what was said above, and the entire premise of my writings, which is that we are very influenced by our past teachings, constructing certain “Logs” in our eyes, that must be removed before we can see clearly. (See our most commonly-referenced passage Matthew 7:1-5, whence the name of the website.)
- Many of you are familiar with this well-known verse, translated here from ESV and the NIV:
⦁ Revelation 22:20 ESV
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon (g5035. ταχύ tachy).” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
⦁ Revelation 22:20 NIV
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon (g5035. ταχύ tachy).”
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
- NKJV (and KJV) translate it as:
⦁ Revelation 22:20 NKJV
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly (g5035. ταχύ tachy).”
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
The word in question g5035. ταχύ tachy has been translated both ways. You can see that it is the basis for words that we use like a tachometer or tachycardia (rapid heart beat). It is a point of confusion. I bring it up for two reasons.
① Some theologians say that the Apostle Paul believed that the “second coming” would occur during his own lifetime based on 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 (see the two added “ands” especially), but there are other references that argue against this interpretation, including 2 Thessalonians 2, which you might want to read.
⦁ 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 NKJV
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive (and) remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive (and) remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. – was Paul referring to himself and his generation when he said “we?” Such interpretations may need to be expanded to be targeted at some unknown future generation…
② For those of you who have been watching the series The Chosen, you have heard the characters frequently joking about “soon.”
I just want to share something that I have learned from some recent life experiences combined with my Scripture study that may help shed some light…
⦁ 2 Peter 3:8
8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
⦁ Psalms 90:4
4 For a thousand years in Your sight
Are like yesterday when it is past,
And like a watch in the night.
Recall that The Message by Eugene Peterson is a Bible paraphrase, not a translation of what was written, but for me, it has its place when I am trying to look up a concept, especially modern concepts, such as here, where I was contemplating the idea of a “deadline.” Of course, then one must go back to what actually was written to confirm or deny Peterson’s idea.
- Since The Message is a paraphrase, there is not one word to be referenced for “deadline” when we go to another translation:
⦁ Job 10:1-7 (ESV – Job Continues: A Plea to God)
1 “I loathe my life;
I will give free utterance to my complaint;
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
2 I will say to God, Do not condemn me;
let me know why you contend against me.
3 Does it seem good to you to oppress,
to despise the work of your hands
and favor the designs of the wicked?
4 Have you eyes of flesh?
Do you see as man sees?
5 Are your days as the days of man,
or your years as a man’s years,
6 that you seek out my iniquity
and search for my sin,
7 although you know that I am not guilty,
and there is none to deliver out of your hand?
Hopefully you know me well enough by now that you recognize that I will not lean into any one “tradition of men.” This could easily turn into a Calvinist vs. Arminian discussion. But I believe what Scripture really tells us is that when we are looking at life from our very limited perspective, we do not at all see things as God sees them. This has recently been a HUGE revelation in my life. Speaking of the term I looked up, “deadline,” it has become very clear to me lately that I have tended to impose upon myself so many internal deadlines, that “efficiency” has become an idol of sorts for me. I can honestly say this is something the LORD has been working on me for years regarding this topic, but it is in the past year that I have become more and more aware of it. And, of course, it is so scriptural. We have talked about Sabbath and about not completing things until they are submitted to God (John 19:30 – “It is finished.”), consistent with שבע “seven.” From our perspective, that of mankind, “the world,” it seems to make sense to “push through,” “git ‘er dun,” “just do it.” But from the Kingdom perspective, remember the completion is brought about by “curtailing activity before completion” שבת and “submitting to God” שבע in order to complete. Our pause gives him time to prepare the soil to receive the seeds to produce thirty, sixty, a hundred-fold. See the Parable of the Sower (esp. in Matthew 13) and its explanation. There are many kinds of soil. The “good soil/good ground” is that which was prepared beforehand.
⦁ Mark 13:3-6 NKJV
3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?”
5 And Jesus, answering them, began to say: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 6 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many.
- If you have been following The Chosen, you undoubtedly have noted that the characters use many of the Jewish prayers in their lives. This is from one of my listed references, and a reference to the Jewish prayer the Kaddish. See its wording “speedily and soon.”
If you look for the Kaddish online, you see it is in Aramaic and not Hebrew, but in this case we do “luck out” in that the Hebrew and Aramaic roots are the same except for vowel pointing.
- “…and very soon” is seen here as ובזמן קריב.
▸ h2163. זָמַן zâman; a primitive root; to fix (a time): — appoint.
AV (3) – appointed 3;
- to appoint a time, be fixed, be appointed
- (Pual)
- to be fixed, be appointed
- appointed times (participle)
- (Pual)
▸ h2164. זְמַן zeman; (Aramaic) corresponding to h2163. זָמַן zâman; to agree (on a time and place): — prepare.
AV (1) – prepared 1;
- to agree together, appoint a time
- (Ithpael) to agree beforehand
▸ h2165. זְמָן zemân; from 2163; an appointed occasion: — season, time.
AV (4) – time 3, season 1;
- a set time, appointed time, time
▸ h2166. זְמָן zemân; (Aramaic) from 2165; the same as 2165: — season, time.
AV (11) – time 9, season 2;
- a set time, time, season
▸ h7126. קָרַב qâraḇ; a primitive root; to approach (causatively, bring near) for whatever purpose: — (cause to) approach, (cause to) bring (forth, near), (cause to) come (near, nigh), (cause to) draw near (nigh), go (near), be at hand, join, be near, offer, present, produce, make ready, stand, take.
AV (280) – offer 95, (come, draw,..) near 58, bring 58, (come, draw,..) nigh 18, come 12, approach 10, at hand 4, presented 2, misc 13;
- to come near, approach, enter into, draw near
- (Qal) to approach, draw near
- (Niphal) to be brought near
- (Piel) to cause to approach, bring near, cause to draw near
- (Hiphil) to bring near, bring, present
▸ h7127. קְרֵב qerêḇ; (Aramaic) corresponding to h7126. קָרַב qâraḇ: — approach, come (near, nigh), draw near.
AV (9) – come near 4, offer 2, come 1, bring near 1, offer 1;
- to approach, come near
- (P’al) to approach
- (Pael) to offer, draw near
- (Aphel) to be summoned
- Think of it as:
“The appointed time drawing near.”
The role of “messengers” is to reflect the nature of the one sending them. Carry the message – sow the seed – results of seed planting depend on the “soil.” (See the Parable of the Sower)
The soil/ground depends on God’s timing, not ours – he prepares hearts, prepares the way. There is plowing/tilling to be done beforehand, and nurturing to be done afterward. But these are the work of God… not the messenger. The Sermon on the Mount could only be seen in the proper light of an oppressed people. The Exodus from Egypt (with leadership of Moshe/Moses and the giving of the Torah) could only be seen in proper perspective by an oppressed people. The LORD sees the proper timing, when in the cycles of rising and falling, we are suitably prepared for sowing, and when the harvest is ready (see John 4:35-38)
▸ CWSBD H5647. עָבַד ‘āḇaḏ: A verb meaning to work, to serve. This labor may be focused on things, other people, or God. When it is used in reference to things, that item is usually expressed: to till the ground (Gen. 2:5; 3:23; 4:2); to work in a garden (Gen. 2:15); or to dress a vineyard (Deut. 28:39). Similarly, this term is also applied to artisans and craftsmen, like workers in fine flax (Isa. 19:9); and laborers of the city (Ezek. 48:19). When the focus of the labor is another person, that person is usually expressed: Jacob’s service to Laban (Gen. 29:15); the Israelites’ service for the Egyptians (Ex. 1:14); and a people’s service to the king (Judg. 9:28; 1 Sam. 11:1). When the focus of the labor is the Lord, it is a religious service to worship Him. Moreover, in these cases, the word does not have connotations of toilsome labor but instead of a joyful experience of liberation (Ex. 3:12; 4:23; 7:16; Josh. 24:15, 18). Unfortunately, this worship service was often given to false gods (Deut. 7:16; 2 Kgs. 10:18, 19, 21-23).
Genesis – tilling the ground – in bold above:
⦁ Genesis 2:4-6
4 This (is) the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, 5 before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and (there was) no man to till (h5647. עָבַד ‘âḇaḏ) the ground; 6 but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground.
⦁ Genesis 3:22-24
22 Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— 23 therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till (h5647. עָבַד ‘âḇaḏ) the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
I have done many cognate permutation investigations of all three of these early Genesis passages. Only sharing these two for now.
⦁ Genesis 4:1-5
1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the LORD.” 2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller (h5647. עָבַד ‘âḇaḏ) of the ground. 3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
- Here in verse 4:2 “tiller” is a structure we often see in the Hebrew, with the participle of the verb in the construct usage, so it would more literally be something like “Cain, he was a tilling of the ground.”
So, the message that has come to me of late centers around the middle passage here, and again it involved a shift of perspective for me (you may have already read the passage the way that I only now have discovered, so please forgive my slow learning, if so). This perspective also carries into the other passages. This is not easy to put into words, but I think it is very important to understand this nuance because it helps understand life much more readily. It clarifies the teaching of Yeshua/Jesus for me, and I hope also for you, if you have been “blind” as I have been.
See Genesis 3:23:
Genesis 3:23
23 therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken.
I have always read this verse that God had sent man out of the garden in order for the man to till the ground from which he was taken. But what if the meaning is really in order for God to till the ground from which we were taken? The ground from which we were taken can be thought of as our background, our mindset, our worldview – mankind’s perspective from living a protected life in the Garden gave him a view of life that did not reflect the nature of Creation, which is one of rising and falling, the cycles; it was a very limited view of life. Isn’t this the tendency of complacency to which we have referred many times, including our own country?
⦁ Genesis 3:23 more literal per BDB
23 and sends him out the LORD God from garden of Eden to till/serve את the ground which he was taken from there.
⦁ Genesis 3:23
23 וַֽיְשַׁלְּחֵ֛הוּ יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים מִגַּן־עֵ֑דֶן לַֽעֲבֹד֙ אֶת־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֻקַּ֖ח מִשָּֽׁם׃
In Bible translations, infinitives and participles are often used interchangeably. I have done so here in the past, as well. Maybe, if I re-translate as a participle it will make the viewpoint clearer to you:
⦁ Genesis 3:23 more literal per BDB
23 and sends him out the LORD God from garden of Eden, tilling את the ground which he was taken from there.
This may or may not make clear what I am proposing. The argument I am making (and what I believe Yeshua/Jesus makes in Matthew 7:1-5, the LogAndSpeck passage) is that mankind is sent out of the ideal environment of Eden in order for the LORD God to till our ground, the ground from which we were originally taken. Explanation: our parents, our family of upbringing, our society/culture in which we were raised, shapes us in a certain way. That shaping, molding must be transformed by the Potter in order for us to be a proper vessel for receiving the Counselor, the Holy Spirit. These, then, are life circumstances that are designed by or taken advantage of by the LORD to open our eyes to be able to SEE, but we are the ones who have control over our eyes. In other words, we must be the ones to remove the Log. The LORD can lead us, as a horse to water, but he gives us free will, in that he does not force the horse to drink of the water before it. What I propose here is that the LORD ideally serves as both the tiller and the sower in our lives. Of the different types of soil in the Sower Parable, only one really produces. That is the ground/soil that the LORD is allowed by us to till. We must turn that over to him.
I believe this message of opening eyes, removing the Log, is so well explained in the movie Amazing Grace, and if then you “see” the message, you can then better understand the song Amazing Grace. “I once was blind, but now I see.”
The LORD directs, guides our life circumstances in order to till the soil to prepare it for the seed that is to be sown. If we are always going about doing our own tilling, trying to change what God has prepared for us, the seed ends up on soil that produces poorly, if at all. “Produces” in Matthew 13:23 is g4160. ποιέω poieō, which translates to both h1254. בָּרָא ḇârâ’ (create) and h6213. עָשָׂה ‘âśâ (make; do), by farmost commonly to h6213. עָשָׂה ‘âśâ using Septuagint as an intermediary.
The point has been made previously, and above, that time, in God’s perspective, is far different from our perspective. Our lifetime is but the blink of an eye for God. Thus “soon” may reflect the perspective of the LORD.
- Recall Jacob’s serving to be able to marry Rachel:
⦁ Genesis 29:20 NKJV
20 So Jacob served (h5647. עָבַד ‘âḇaḏ) seven years for Rachel, and they seemed (only) a few days to him because of the love בְּאַהֲבָתֹ֖ו he had for her. (from the root אהב):
p.4 אהב love; devote completely to another).
- Or if you are a parent of adult children, think of how rapidly the childhood years passed as you look back upon them. The perspective of love changes how we see time. (Again, you may want to refer to the movie Arrival.)
- All five of these occurrences of בְּאַהֲבָתֹ֖ו are powerful; I encourage you to read them. To me, Zephaniah was most eye-opening.
⦁ Zephaniah 3:17
17 The LORD your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet (you) with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”
The Apostle John reminds us three times (1 John 4:7, 4:8, 4:16) “God is love.” I had a mother-in-law who often would say that a task that she had done (making a quilt, preparing a Thanksgiving dinner…) was “a labor of love.”
When we till the soil/ground, it may seem to be quite a burden. When God tills the ground from which we are formed, it is for him a “labor of love.” His shaping of us is a lifetime for us, but love does not notice this. Again, I share this passage:
⦁ 2 Peter 3:8-9
8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
And I ask you to see the perspective of love in Peter’s statement. In the statement in Revelation 22:20, g5035. ταχύ tachy likely should be seen as both quickly and as “soon.”
Sabbath, as a reminder to “submit to God before completion,” is a reminder to be aware of the fact that God is love, and before we complete any task, we should submit it as a labor of love. Let God till the ground from which you have been formed. This was the message of Yeshua/Jesus, in his healings on the Sabbath. “Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” Sabbath should be a reminder of seeing things through the eyes of God, the eyes of love.
Ⓒ Copyright Philip E. Gates @ LogAndSpeck.com December 2024