Rabbi's Drash

Yitro

( Jethro )

5769

 Exodus 18:1-20:23
 

I would like to focus today on one portion of this wonderful parashah from Exodus 19: 5-6. "Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel." Here we see that G-d is choosing a people for Him possession because He said "all the earth is Mine." Only someone who is the owner of something can be fully in control of his choices for it. In our society, when a man says that he is choosing a wife for himself, if the woman does not also choose him, there will be no wedding. So really, who is in control? Who is really making the choice? But with G-d, it is truly His choice. In verse 6, G-d said that he will create a kingdom of "cohanim". In Hebrew, a word can have be polyvalent or have different meanings dependent upon the context. In this case, G-d is not going to create a religious order but rather it is more about position. He is speaking about creating a people who will be of the royal line, blue blood, aristocracy. They will be an elite group in the world; one which holds tremendous responsibility. The aristocracy that G-d creates is very different from the human-created aristocracy of the world. In this world, people must bow to kings and the royal family who demand being served by the people. There is the air of superiority and tremendous snobbery and separation from the people. However in G-d's kingdom it is the opposite. Yeshua is known as Messiah King and yet when he walked the earth, he came to show us the true meaning of royalty. He owned nothing and washed the feet of his talmidim demonstrating that we were to serve one another. The position holds one of tremendous responsibility to the world and is often very hard to bear. When you are called by G-d to fulfill his purpose, it is not because you are better, greater or that you have more qualities. In fact it is usually the opposite in order the G-d's glory would be revealed. It is written that he uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise (1Corinthians 1:20). When He chooses you, your life no longer belongs to you but to G-d. In 1Peter 2:9-10, this thought is repeated by Kefa as he is speaking to the Jewish believers living in the Diaspora. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Peter is also speaking here to the Righteous gentiles, the "ger" whom G-d has chosen from the beginning to be grafted into Israel and included in the royal line. Yeshua has gone beyond the line "Salvation comes from the Jews." He saying that if you don't come through Israel, there is no other way in, no other door to have G-d's redemption. This door has been broadened by Yeshua who broke down the wall of partition between the Jew and gentile. Even before Yeshua was revealed, G-d was actively doing the same with the Righteous gentiles and the Jews all throughout the Scriptures. The idea of being grafted in is a very interesting one. Paul speaks about the wild olive branches being grafted into the natural olive tree in Romans 11:17-24. This is contrary to nature. Usually when a tree is not good (not productive), good branches will be grafted in making the tree productive producing excellent fruit. Here however, the opposite is taking place. But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in." Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief will be grafted in for God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree? Paul is warning the grafted in believer from the wild olive tree not to be arrogant remembering that the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob supports the root and that the tree is Israel into which the gentile believer is now grafted. In the same way, the Jew too can be cut off from the same tree due to their lack of producing fruit. Being chosen by G-d does not give us the right to be proud, arrogant or to boast since we did not choose ourselves. We all fail on a daily basis to live up to G-d. When Yeshua came, he made this a universal message and clear to all nations. He opened the door to all instead of it being exclusively for the Jews. Why are we in such a mess today? All religions in the world are trying to defend their regional gods. Even Yitro, Moshe's father-in law after admitting that the G-d who Moshe described to him was the true G-d; he returned to his desert gods. Christians have the same problem when we try to show them who their god is. They have accepted man's definition of G-d instead of accepting G-d for who He is. In comparing him to the G-d who brought the commandments to Moshe on Mount Sinai, they immediately fall short. We are told to make no images of our G-d and we see images throughout the Christian world. We are told to observe the Sabbath day, yet Christianity has changed it for the Sunday which is well known to be the day on which the Sun god was worshipped. G-d revealed Himself to Moshe on Mount Sinai. The people accepted to do and obey all that they were told without even knowing what was expected of them. They didn't have a choice to choose G-d. He chose them. If this same G-d didn't come to you in some way, you would not be following Him today. His commandments are not suggestions, they are commandments. We can't choose to obey some and leave other out. Also it is not about feelings. We don't obey because today we feel like it and tomorrow we don't. The Scriptures give us a way of life. This is not religion; this is G-d-Echad dxa, The Truth (Emet) tma; The Life (Chayim) Myyx, and the Way (Derech) Krd . Our responsibility being in the royal line i.e. a kingdom of priests, chosen by G-d is to lift each other up in prayer and to tell each other the Truth in love. As a people chosen by G-d, now with "blue blood", it is time to remember that we didn't choose ourselves; we need to have true humility in the face of G-d's immeasurable love and mercy for us. He chose us in spite of ourselves. Doing and obeying G-d's Word is not easy and we need to stand up for what is right. There is no compromise in this. G-d watches over us every day of our lives so let us humble ourselves before Him and be willing to be available to serve Him.    May G-d add blessings to His Word!      Rabbi Percy Johnson      Netanel ben Yochanan      [nxy [b lantn      © 2008 Use by Permission      Kehilat She’ar Yashuv

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