lessons from the wilderness Volume 66-What we Know Part Six

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©2011-2025, David E. Robinson: At the Gates of Yerushalayim Ministries

 

Lessons from the Wilderness, Volume 66

…What We Know… Part Six

How we Got Here ^{[i] [ii] [iii]}

…A Biblical Examination of the Jewish Context of our Blessed Hope in Messiah…

(Continued)

 

John 4:19-24:

¹⁹ The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that ^pyou are ^qa prophet. ^20 rOur fathers worshiped on ^sthis mountain, but you say that ^tin Jerusalem is ^uthe place where people ought to worship.” ²¹ Jesus said to her, ^v“Woman, believe me, ^wthe hour is coming when ^xneither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. ^22 yYou worship what you do not know; ^zwe worship what we know, for ^zsalvation is ^afrom the Jews. ²³ But ^bthe hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father ^cin spirit and ^dtruth, for the Father ^eis seeking such people to worship him. ²⁴ God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”^[iv]

 Bob Dylon, “Gotta Serve Somebody”

(Refrain)

You’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody [v]

                 I want you to look again at the title for this series: “What We Know”.  Look at my sub-title: “How We Got Here”. We got here through 2000 years of mis-application and mis-understanding the Holy One of Israel and His over 4000-year-old plan for the salvation of His earthly family. From Adam and Eve to Yeshua Ha’Machiach, sent to believers throughout the ages, we have been trying to understand how we got here, this place, this time.

 Our world seems to be on fire, hate, discontent, malicious gossip and back-biting within families, wars and rumors of wars and the truth is the human race marches on to the inevitable end: The Day of the Lord.

 Why have we struggled? Why have we not seen that following and worshipping the wrong gods have led us to this point? Religion has tried to kill the knowledge of the One True God, ʾ^elōhiym. Most do not even know His name. Most do not even KNOW Him, let alone worship Him as Creator and King. That is why I write. This is why I study. I have known Him, but I will admit, the more I look, the more I know that I am only scratching the surface of Who He Is. But what a wonderful journey. How we got here is the topic I hope to answer, so that all will know Him.

 How we got here is the crux of the story. Throughout history, there has been an effort by humankind to chart its own path, outside of the care and control of a holy God. Truly, in the times in which we now live, what is happening?  Are not all of man’s works being laid bare before him?  Is this not true concerning of all the ages of man? Before we can begin to understand the end of times, we must see how we have gotten here. 

 All around us, in every endeavor and in every era of man, stand the testimonies of monumental failure.  We have seen the collapse of leadership in every aspect of life, social, economic, militaristic, governmental, education, the arts and entertainment, science, and medicine. Some examples:

• In our age, colleges cannot turn out independent thinkers- those men and women who are capable of rational, coherent thought. At the behest of ideologs and radical extremism, political parties consumed with the pursuit of power and with the entitlements they believe are due them for the positions they hold, mold and shape the youth today, to the extent some even question who they are in mind, soul and body.

 

•  While the United States may have the world’s most powerful military and we can still be held at bay by the simple code of morality our brave soldiers employ upon themselves to try to lessen the deaths of innocents, and by the “rules of engagement” politicians impose upon them, even at the cost of victory. We also face the situations where our military prowess is held in check by those in leadership who lack the skills necessary to or are unable to wield it effectively, thereby rendering it almost useless.  Those who identify themselves as our enemies have no such qualms, but the very fact of their brutality renders them vulnerable to the same sword that they so callously employ. 

 

• Science and medicine have become almost irreversibly linked to the bottom line, and the cost in economics and ethics has turned these disciplines into cultures that promote a cavalier attitude to the sanctity of life, encouraging euthanasia and infanticide with no regard for the moral questions that beg to be asked.  They advocate the mutilation of young men and women, confusing nature of gender, and heap upon a naïve culture the ills that Paul spoke of in Romans 1:18-32.

             When moral people try to push back at this juggernaut of humanism and secularism that pervades most of society, they find themselves marginalized as the dominate media and vocal minorities cast them as intolerant hate-filled religious fanatics or bigoted racists.  Evil is touted as the good while the good is blamed for all evil.  There is no shame in calling what was once profane sacred and the sacred profane.  Isn’t then the nakedness of our collective souls that have got us here, to this place?  Are not our failures as civilized nation-states being laid naked before us, our seemingly utter contempt for all that is holy and righteous baring our iniquities and revealing the body of death that is strapped to our backs? 

 Now I know that this seems a very cynical and pessimistic view, but in truth, I have not even begun to touch on this raw exposed nerve of humanity’s soul. Ask yourself this question:

 Are we or have we ever been even remotely capable of governing ourselves in a moral and ethical way?

 The “religious” cry and shout to the masses, “Have faith!” without even grasping what faith truly is. They think that faith is a spiritual act, that if one stumbles or fails, well, then they lack faith. Sadly, what happens is that most fail to see “faith’s” broader role in the lives of all who yearn to believe.

 In the Greek, faith is the word πίστις pístis (or seen also as písteōs) and has the subjective meaning of “firm persuasion, conviction, belief in the truth, veracity, reality or faithfulness…^[vi] or objectively meaning that which is believed, doctrine, loyalty, allegiance.^[vii]

 Let me give some examples:

 

·         Acts 17:31: ʾ^elōhiym has given to all the ability to believe (cf. Romans 3:23ff).

·         Romans 14:22: “The faith you have…” means that one has been persuaded about. Or believes in what ʾ^elōhiym wants us to do.

·         Heb 11.1: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” means that persuasion is not the outcome of imagination but is based on fact, such as the reality of the resurrection of Christ (1 Cor. 15), and as such it becomes the basis of realistic hope and belief.^[viii]

·         There are more examples to look at; 1 Cor. 15; 2 Cor 5:7; 1 Pet 1:5; 1 Thess 2:13; Matt23:23; Rom 3:3; Gal 5:22, along with so many more that speak to what “faith” truly means: believing loyalty to the One True God.

 If we were to substitute “loyalty” in most instances where we see the word “faith”, one would find it works – it conveys the exact meaning that pístis should convey. Faith is trust, trust is belief, and belief is loyalty: what does ʾ^elōhiym want? His family. To be loyal means you believe what He says of Himself, and trust that He will do exactly as He says, thus you become part of that family. This is what we have to believe – we have to know who we worship, not just know of Him. Who do we serve?

 If we serve a denomination’s view of God, what does that look like? If we serve a God borne out of religion, what “God” is that? The ʾ^elōhiym we are to worship told us about Himself, His path and plan for the salvation of all, of His Messiah whom He sent to be the instrument of that salvation.

 We have to believe; we have to be loyal and turn not to a “creed”, or a “statement of faith” or anything outside of the context of Scripture. To worship Who we know is paramount to our faith which is trust and that is belief. With belief comes loyalty. Let’s continue.

 We will pick up on our ongoing themes I mentioned in my last post.

 

·         Covenantal certainty.

·         The inescapable destiny of servitude, “which or who do you serve?”

·         Epistemic[ix] accountability.

·         Covenantal particularity.

 

I try to keep these lessons short enough to read, so we may not get to all these, because there is a lot to unpack here. What comes next helps to center ourselves, back to a covenant reality that we have seemed to miss. I call this a search for the Covenantal Certainty that brings our focus back to God and Yeshua, and to a world view that is rooted and grounded in the text of the Scriptures.

 Covenantal Certainty

Covenantal certainty is the anchor of the believer's hope—God’s own oath-backed promises, fulfilled in Yeshua and sealed by the Spirit, assuring us that what He began with Abraham and David He will consummate for Israel and the nations in the resurrection and the renewal of all things (Heb 6:17–20; Rom 11:29; Eph 1:13–14; Rev 21:5).

 A more succinct definition is this: Covenantal certainty is the settled confidence (trust=belief=faith) that ʾ^elōhiym will finish what He began. His promises rest on His own unchanging character, ratified by oath, enacted in history, and guaranteed by the Spirit—so that every promise finds its “Yes” in Messiah and its completion in the age to come (Num 23:19; Ps 89:34; 2 Cor 1:20).

 In light of this, what is the certainty then?:

 

1. There is our belief in God’s character — He swears by Himself; His word and His oath make “two unchangeable things” that anchor us within the veil (Heb 6:13–20).
2. We believe in the Covenantal oath — Abrahamic, Davidic, and New Covenants bind the promise to descendants, kingship, land/creation, and Spirit-wrought obedience (Gen 12:1–3; 2 Sam 7; Jer 31:31–34; Ezek 36:26–28; Isa 55:3).
3. We believe in the Messiah’s fulfillment of the covenant— Yeshua’s death and resurrection secured the covenant forever; what God pledged to the fathers, He “remembered” and fulfilled in Him (Luke 1:72–73; Rom 4; 1 Cor 15).
4. Lastly, there is the Spirit’s pledge — that the belief that The Spirit is the arrabōn (down payment), the first fruits of the future inheritance; He guarantees consummation, not speculation (Eph 1:13–14; 2 Cor 1:22; 5:5; Rom 8:23).

Jewish shape of the certainty to come

The promises above are Israel-shaped and world-embracing: restoration, resurrection, righteous kingship from David’s line, Zion’s joy, nations streaming to the Lord. The Church does not replace this story but is grafted into it; therefore our hope is stable because “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Rom 11:29).

Covenantal Certainty of the Eschatological Horizon (the already but not yet)

·         Already: the New Covenant has been inaugurated—sins forgiven, Spirit poured out, Gentiles grafted in 

(Jer 31:34; Acts 2).

• Not yet: the same covenant demands visible completion—resurrection, creation renewed, Messiah’s manifest reign (Isa 11; Rev 21:1–5).

         What we see now is the lead into the fulfillment. Eschatology has yet to be completed, it will come at the end of the age: The Day of the Lord. It is this Covenantal certainty that holds both together: what began in Messiah must be finished by Messiah.

 

Pastoral posture certainty produces

• Hope with patience — we “wait for the blessed hope” without anxiety (Tit 2:13; Heb 6:18–19).
• Obedience with joy — covenant grace creates covenant faithfulness [i.e. believing loyalty] (See Ezekial 36:27; John 14:15).
• Humility with confidence — we boast not in systems but in the God who keeps His word (Rom 3:27; 2 Cor 1:9).
• Mission with love — certainty about the end fuels faithfulness in the present (Matt 28:19–20; 1 Thess 1:9–10).

 

We can see now how all things begin to work together when we begin to see, and understand the words Yeshua spoke:

 “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.”

 John 4:22

 We will finish up our series in our next post.

Till then, May the Father of Our Master Yeshua

Bless all with eyes to see, and ears to hear

Amein.

 

 

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[i]NOTICE OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS: Unless otherwise cited, all material found on this blogsite (original text, opinions, conclusions, and other material not related to cited sources remains the collected intellectual property of the author of this site, David E. Robinson, Elder, teacher, and minister, and are owned and controlled by myself and are protected by copyright and trademark laws and various other intellectual property rights and unfair competition laws of the United States, foreign jurisdictions, and international conventions. Any errors found within, rest solely upon me; please do not blame the Father for my mistakes. I am teachable and correctable, not infallible. 😊 What I aim to do in this blog is trying to help you study your Bible better, by providing you with notes and explanations that you, my dear reader, may not have the resources available to you.

 

[ii] FAIR USE DISCLAIMER: This blog site may contain content that is not authorized for use by its owner. All such material will be cited back to its original source. According to Section 107 of the Copyright Act: “…the fair use of a copyrighted work […] for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright…” I have made and will continue to make every effort to stay within all ethical and moral guidelines in the use of material presented here, and the use of these materials is solely intended for educational purposes only, and all efforts to obtain or sustain fair use of non-owned material will be made. That being said, this site is for education only and is not affiliated with any institution, organization, or religious group. It is the sole production of its editor/author. Use of information from Jewish-themed websites (or any other source material) should not be construed as these sites endorsing or confirming any thesis introduced by the author of this epistle. I present the information from their respective sites for instructional purposes only and/or to aid in the readers understanding of the subjects discussed.

 

[iii] Author’s note:  Throughout these studies, I will be using the NET Bible® and the NET Notes®: within the notes you will see symbols like this: ( B Ψ 892* 2427 sys) [see explanation below…]. These are abbreviations used by the NET Bible® for identifying the principal manuscript evidence that they (authors and translators of the NET Bible®) used in translating the Old and New Testament. Please go to https://bible.org/netbible/  and see their section labeled “NET Bible Principals of Translation” for a more complete explanation on these symbols and other items pertinent to the way the NET Bible uses them. Net® foot/end notes will be separated as follows:

 

(start of): NET Bible® Notes: {the numbered notations are unique to the NET® Bible and will be separated by this notation.}

(end of): {End Net® Notes}

 

This is not to say that the NET® Bible will be our only source of God’s word but will be used as seen fit.  To help you understand, the symbols listed here mean the following:

Breakdown of the symbols

·                     B: This refers to Codex Vaticanus, one of the oldest and most important Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. Dating to the 4th century CE, it is a key witness to the Alexandrian text-type.

·                     Ψ (Psi): This is a standard abbreviation for the book of Psalms, from the Greek word psalmoi. In New Testament textual notes, it can also refer to the important 8th-century Greek manuscript Codex Athous Lavrensis.

·                     892*: This is a number assigned to a specific ancient biblical manuscript. The asterisk (*raised to the * power*) indicates that the reading came from the original, uncorrected version of the manuscript. The manuscript itself is a 9th-century Greek minuscule manuscript containing the Gospels and Acts.

·                     2427: This refers to another Greek minuscule manuscript, dating to the 14th century, containing the Gospels.

·                     sys: This is an abbreviation for the Syriac manuscript tradition, which was a very important early translation of the New Testament into Syriac, a dialect of Aramaic. 

·                     For those who wish to take their studies to the next level, a list of symbols used in textural criticism can be found here: https://www.cob-net.org/compare/docs/reference-charts-ciampa.pdf

 

Also, in these studies, I have used the notes that come along with the passages cited from the sources notated: these need a bit of a disclaimer though. As in all things, not everything that is footnoted is something that may I necessarily agree with [nor specifically disagree with]; the only instances will be where I may find it not compatible with what I believe pertains to any matters of the Torah or the commandments of God. I give you the notes as they are written by the authors of the material I cite from, so that you can see the information contained within them. It truly is not my place to edit or ignore them; if they state anything that is in opposition to what I teach, then so be it. I will address these issues if requested. That is not to say I should not challenge something I believe, in my humble opinion, might contradict the truth of God’s word; that I will do in the main body of my epistles for that is where my gentle dissent belongs.  Most (but not all) of the differences will come when a QUOTED source displays a decidedly Western/Greek mindset, as opposed to one of the Hebraic Perspectives. I must be intellectually honest – I am biased toward the God of Avraham, Issachar, and Yakob, and his son, Yeshua, the Messiah. I pray we all can find common ground as we study the Scriptures. Also, some may be put off by the length or depth of the notes; not everyone has access to the references I do, so therefore, I try to include the notes that come with the material I use, so each can see for themselves the information the originator has pointedly gleaned. I hope you avail yourselves to these inclusions – they help us to understand how the material in scripture is laid out and the thought process of the original writers of Scripture.

 

^p ch. 9:17; [ch. 6:14]

^q Luke 7:16, 39; See Matt. 21:11

^r Gen. 12:6, 7; 33:18, 20; Deut. 11:29; 27:12; Josh. 8:33

^s Judg. 9:7

^t See Deut. 12:5

^u [ch. 11:48]

^v ch. 2:4

^w ver. 23; ch. 5:25, 28; 16:2, 25, 32

^x Zeph. 2:11; Mal. 1:11; 1 Tim. 2:8

^y [2 Kgs. 17:28–34; Acts 17:23]

^z Ps. 147:19, 20; Isa. 2:3; Rom. 3:1, 2; 9:4, 5

^z Ps. 147:19, 20; Isa. 2:3; Rom. 3:1, 2; 9:4, 5

^a Matt. 2:4, 5; Acts 13:23; Rom. 11:26

^b ver. 21

^c [Rom. 8:15; Eph. 2:18; 6:18; Phil. 3:3]

^d Ps. 145:18; [ch. 1:17]

^e [ch. 6:44]

^[iv] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Jn 4:19–24.

 

[v] Bob Dylon, “Gotta Serve Somebody” Copyright © 1979 by Special Rider Music

 

^[vi] Spiros Zodhiates, in The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000).

^[vii] Spiros Zodhiates, in The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000).

^[viii] Spiros Zodhiates, in The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000).

[ix] From epistemology, the philosophical study of knowledge, exploring what it is, how we get it, and how we can be sure it's true. Examines concepts such as belief, truth, evidence and justification of the same. For a deeper understanding see: https://iep.utm.edu/epistemo/#:~:text=Epistemology%20is%20the%20study%20of,might%20sort%20into%20two%20categories.