Work Out Your Salvation

Philippians 2:12 ESV - Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

work (Hebrew) = melakah – Strong’s 4399 (ref Gen 2:2)

מְלָאכָה = mem + lamed + aleph + kaf + he = water (power, chaos) + cattle prod, staff (prod, go towards) + ox (strength, leader) + arm, open hand (cover, allow) + window, fence (to reveal, to separate).

Therefore work in Hebrew could mean: to grow closer to your leader by allowing him to help you identify and separate out chaos.

129 of 167 occurrences of melakah in the bible are translated simply the english word “work,” including the work God did at creation (Gen 2:2-3).   Five of the uses of melakah speak of workmanship, as in the skill and evidence of it, while building the tabernacle and all the ornate and specific furnishings (Ex 31 and 35).  In addition, various types of things (nouns) are counted as melakah: property (Ex 22:8); the raw material used to build the tabernacle and furnishings (Ex 36:7); even livestock (Gen 33:14).

So, as Skip Moen points out in Taking Care of Business, work is not only a deed, but sometimes the means and the end result.  Working out your salvation, or “keep working out your deliverance,” as the Complete Jewish Bible phrases it – is the melakah of being a disciple.  It is the act of growing closer to our leader Jesus; the act of allowing him (via submitting) to teach us to root out chaos and to bring order to the world around us.

That is simply bringing the kingdom of heaven into our world, illuminating the darkness around us with the light from God’s place.  It takes faith, belief in Adonai, and it takes melakah, hard work, actions that bring redemption.

Copyright © 2012 Andy Madonio – Patriarchs, Philosophers, & Phlip Phlops

“Pretty Woman” Orbison Spotted?

Could this be the writer of that wonderful hit “Pretty Woman” himself?  I spotted this familiar face at Pasquale’s on Woodward Avenue the day after Thanksgiving 2011, while having lunch with out-of-town friends.  This isn’t my normal type of posting, but I couldn’t resist.

These “spy” photos were taken surreptitiously, not paparazzi-like, so as not to disturb Roy, or any of his guests: Morrison, Joplin, or Hendrix.  He was obviously trying to be inconspicuous, finding anonymity in the menu.

What do you think?  Have a blessed 2012, and remember, Roy was created in the Lord’s image too.

Copyright © 2011 Andy Madonio – Patriarchs, Philosophers, & Phlip Phlops

Messiah Unwrapped

There is a Christmas present that is available every day of the year.  It is a present of selflessness, of subordination, of stooping to the lowest; it is a present from one completely unconcerned with his reputation.  This gift is revealed each time the Word of God is read, and its beauty and significance are never more striking than when the Torah is read in a Jewish synagogue.

Do they know the significance?  Do they understand the many prophetic words of Isaiah?

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”

“For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him.  He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.  Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.  But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

Do they know, or is the veil still firmly in place, preventing them from knowing the truth of their Messiah.  Let’s look at the presentation of the Torah, the Word of God, as it is read in a typical Jewish synagogue.  Their “handling” of their sacred text is a perfect picture of the Word made flesh that has come to dwell among us.

In a Jewish worship service, the books of the bible are contained in scroll-form in a curtain-covered cabinet called the aron ha-kodesh’ – the Hebrew name for the Holy Ark which contains the precious scrolls of the Torah, the first five books that make up what we call the Old Testament.

As these illustrations show, the scroll is beautifully “dressed” in the garb of the ancient high priest.  Exodus 28 details the specifics of the clothing of the High Priest. His special clothing included a tunic (the Torah mantle, or covering), a belt (the sash around the Torah scroll, hidden under the mantle), a crown or turban (sometimes pomegranates on each wooden roller – eitzei chayim), and a breastplate.

When the scroll to be read is selected, it is reverently carried to the bema, the place of reading, and gently, like setting a child in a cradle, it is prepared for us to hear.  This preparation consists of an “undressing” of the Word or, in the spirit of the Christmas season, an unwrapping of the gift, so that its contents can be revealed to men.  Without this unwrapping, the inner secrets remain hidden, veiled, and unable to be seen by those who need the nourishment of the Word, the bread of life.  Next, the covering, the mantle, the royal vestments of the king, are removed. Finally, the sash, a finely woven linen cloth, is taken away, revealing the simple lambskin scroll, upon which is written the eternal Word of God.

Is seems difficult to miss the import of these symbolic actions.  The king allows himself to be handled by men, choosing to be divested of his royalty, placed as a helpless baby in the hands of the simple country folk of Galilee, the am ha aretz, the people of the land.  For his message to be heard, this must be done; it is the only way, the perfect way.

As a disciple of Yeshua, these words penned by the apostle Paul are more meaningful than ever, describing this very same event, repeated in every Jewish synagogue, beautifully depicting the King of Creation subjecting himself to human existence, being unwrapped so as to fulfill everything written in Torah; fulfilling to the last detail the requirements of the Law of Moses.

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.  Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

In synagogue, when the Word has been revealed, at the completion of worship, it is redressed in its kingly attire, and placed back within the Holy Ark; a gift that is perfect for everyone, but often rejected, shunned and despised.  But for those with eyes to see and ears to hear, the gift is “Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Thanks for unwrapping our precious gift, Abba Father.

Copyright © 2011 Andy Madonio – Patriarchs, Philosophers, & Phlip Phlops

(Illustrations courtesy of “Judaism – Rabbi Scheinerman’s Web Page.“

If It Feels Good . . . Is It?

N.Y. Times columnist David Brooks recently wrote about a lack of moral understanding among young people.  The gist of his column reveals that young Americans don’t even understand what morality is, confusing it with feelings.

 This sad fact is only slightly preferable to actually knowing what is moral and refusing to comply out of rebellion.  Only slightly better – like getting kicked in the groin instead of poked in the eye.

 In a revealing statement, Brooks writes, “Morality was once revealed, inherited and shared, but now it’s thought of as something that emerges in the privacy of your own heart.”  An ancient prophet was quoted once about the purity of what emanates from the human heart when he said, “The heart is more deceitful than anything else and mortally sick. Who can fathom it?”

 Mortally sick.  And yet it is the wellspring of “morality” for many of today’s young people that Brooks writes about.  He says further that many incorrect ideas regarding morality will “sort themselves out” as life progresses to marriage, raising children, and working every day in a job.  There is some truth to the education provided by “real life,” as opposed to the fluff taught by insulated misdirected college academics.  But understanding the true source of morality is really the key.  Also, there were many terrible (moral) choices and decisions made that lead to the financial meltdown of 2008; choices made by mature men and women who desperately needed a clearer view of morality, and have clearly had enough time to “sort themselves out.”  Like the contemporary young people in Brook’s piece, they simply didn’t know how to do the right thing.

 Dennis Prager, in National Review Online, hits a bull’s-eye with the root cause analysis of this dilemma.  “This latest study cited by David Brooks confirms what conservatives have known for a generation: Moral standards have been replaced by feelings . . . What is disconcerting about Brooks’ piece is that nowhere in what is an important column does he mention the reason for this disturbing trend: namely, secularism . . . One key reason is what secularism does to moral standards. If moral standards are not rooted in God, they do not objectively exist. Good and evil are no more real than “yummy” and “yucky.” They are simply a matter of personal preference . . . With the death of Judeo-Christian God-based standards, people have simply substituted feelings for those standards. Millions of American young people have been raised by parents and schools with “How do you feel about it?” as the only guide to what they ought to do. The heart has replaced God and the Bible as a moral guide. And now, as Brooks points out, we see the results.”

 Chuck Colson, a defender of the benefits of living life with a biblical world view, says of ethics in society: “Our modern dilemma in ethics began with the French Enlightenment . . . Enlightenment thinkers believed that Christians were wrong about individual sin, that people were good, corrupted only by social structures. So reforming social structures would produce a perfect society.  For 200 years ethicists have tried to create ethical systems without God. The result has been the dismantling of any objective standard of right and wrong, leaving the individual to act according to his or her own “personal preference.”  But what happens when someone’s “personal preference” happens to be cheating on an exam? Or stealing?”

 The prophet was right in his frightening description of the human heart.  We can’t even define morality – right and wrong – without the baseline, which the Creator set in stone, and which we do well to remember.

Copyright © 2011 Andy Madonio – Patriarchs, Philosophers, & Phlip Phlops

Is the Crucifixion Immoral?

A recent post on the Stand to Reason blog addressed this challenge by some atheists.  In a way, I admire the inventive creativity on their part to come up with this argument, but it seems like the type of challenge a nothing-to-lose defense attorney might confidently exhort – with absolutely no foresight to consider the unintended future consequences of victory.  Yet on the surface, it raises some interesting questions that disciples of Jesus must be able to counter.

Here is an excerpt from the atheists’ claim:

“The atheist claim is that Christians support the unjust torture and killing of an innocent human being for their crimes. Christians believe it’s immoral to punish innocent people, yet we believe that God punished an innocent man, Jesus, for the crimes the rest of us committed.  So they are attempting to say that Christianity’s core belief is immoral, therefore Christianity is an immoral belief system.”

Several key points are absent from the indictment, however:

1) No one on earth was cognizant of the action until after the fact.  Even Jesus’ closest disciples were kept from knowing the truth at the time, so premeditation and culpability do not lie with those that stood to benefit the most from Jesus’ redemptive action.

2) The need to have some individual (human) die for the sins of another was instigated by the one who saw the need and eventually, at the perfect time, took action on his own.  The “victim” of this action was the initiator, the instigator, the only one able to concoct and carry out the activity.  Listen to the instigator’s own words:

“The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him.”

3) Like a war hero who sacrifices his life for his comrades so they can live, Jesus chose to perform this action on anyone’s behalf who accepts his call to follow and imitate his life, as an apprentice or disciple.  Again, the choice to sacrifice was the instigators, and no one else’s.

“He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.”

“How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”

4) Finally, the definition of what is immoral must be considered, but untold volumes would merely scratch the surface.  Suffice to say that the definition of morality itself lies only in the contextual domain of the creator of the term.  It is not some relativistic secular vacillating expectorant of the PC community of our day; it IS carved in stone, and will never change.

Copyright © 2011 Andy Madonio – Patriarchs, Philosophers, & Phlip Phlops