A Dead Baby Or A Full
Gospel?
The kingdom was firmly established in the
hands of Solomon son of David (1 Kings 2:46). Three important
events now happened in rapid succession which would shape Solomon's
reign. First, Solomon married the daughter of Pharaoh Siamun, solidifying
political connections with the super-power at his western flank. Then he cried out to
God for wisdom – how to lead the Jewish people in the unfriendly neighborhood of
the
The third event (according to 1 Kings 3:16-28) was his
first public appearance as kingly judge over
The real mother was moved with compassion for her live
son, and was willing to give up her valid claim in order to preserve the baby's
life. The evil mother could have cared less, because she only wanted revenge.
The Bible tell us that "when all Israel heard the verdict the king had given,
they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to
administer justice" (1 Kings 3:28).
"Is it lawful to
pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"
Messiah Yeshua was once confronted by a group of spies
who were undercover agents for the Pharisee and Sadducee power brokers.
Pretending to be interested in the finer points of theology, they were hoping
catch Yeshua in something that He said, so that He could be handed over to
Pontius Pilate. They presented Yeshua with a leading question which was
two-faced or duplicitous (Luke 20:23): "Rabbi, we know that you speak and teach
what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in
accordance with the truth. Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"
If Yeshua answered with a 'yes', they could accuse Him
before the common people of being a collaborationist with the Roman occupation.
If He answered 'no', they could accuse Him before the Romans of sedition and
treason. The text continues, noting that Yeshua was aware of their duplicitous
trap (Luke 20:26).
A Messianic
Catch-22
A Catch-22 is a term coined by American author Joseph
Heller to describe a paradox in which one becomes a victim regardless of the
choice one makes. A modern example would be Groucho Marx's famous question,
"Have you stopped beating your wife?" If one says 'no', this means that one is
still beating her. If one says ' yes', it means that one confesses to having
beaten her in the past. This is a no-win situation.
In the same way, the enemy of our souls has been trying
to create a false dichotomy – a sordid trap – in order to confuse believers who
love
The "pro-gospel" group asserts that believers must make
a choice between 'something praiseworthy' and 'something of absolute
importance'. Being concerned and pro-active about dividing up the land is
praiseworthy (this stream tends to say) but calling
The "pro-land" group asserts that the dividing up of the
Is there a solution to this impasse? Is this a no-win
situation? Is there really only one choice available, and is it fated that a
dead baby is the unavoidable outcome?
The Gospel
and The
Land
The solution to this conflict involves expanding our
hearts. It means listening with an open heart to both 'sides' in the divergence,
grasping whatever truth there may be on both sides and then holding fast to
those truths with both hands. It involves bringing our own positions into
balance – which probably will require increased courage and humility. It means
asking for and receiving Yeshua's opinions even if His opinions are in any way
at variance with our own.
God has sown aspects of His truth into both movements.
And He wants the rest of us to extract those precious oils for the benefit of
the whole body of Messiah.
Learning from the
"pro-gospel" stream
The Christian Zionist movement often tends to be
weak and even fearful
or skittish when it comes to evangelism. There are many reasons
for this – some are called strategic, others occasionally (though rarely) are
based on the false teaching called "two covenant theology" (which says that Jews
don't have to believe the gospel but have another way of salvation). Sometimes
Christian Zionists are concerned that open evangelism of Jewish people will
close doors to the Jewish non-Messianic community, or that the Israeli Ministry
of the Interior may revoke the visas (meaning, the temporary right to live in
It is here that the "pro-gospel" stream definitely has
something to say. Yeshua gave the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20. It was
not a "Great Suggestion". It comes with the full authority and weight of the
Risen Messiah who is Son of David. That good news is about the Jewish Messiah
and it is earmarked with special priority to the Jewish people (as Paul stresses in Romans
1:16 and 2:6-11). Some
Christian Zionists lack gospel courage and
gospel
backbone, and some of their strategies have the
odor both of fear and of
the desire to be pleasers of men rather than pleasers of God (see
Galatians 1:6-12 and 2 Corinthians 2:14-17).
Another salient point: some Christian Zionists are
embarrassed about Messianic Jews. They would rather be photographed while
embracing rabbis who persecute Messianic Jews, than take the risk of being
photographed while embracing Messianic Jewish brothers and sisters in the faith.
The "pro-gospel" stream can rightly asked them, "Are you ashamed of the
gospel which is the power of salvation, to the Jew first?"
Learning from the
"pro-land" stream
On the other hand, the "pro-land" stream is 'hammering
out danger' and 'ringing out a warning', applying them equally to the leaders of the
nations and the leaders of Israel: God is not pleased with international
pressure to divide the land, and He will bring those who lend a hand to that
process into severe judgment. Some of the "pro-gospel" stream need to take this
message to heart, because sometimes the "pro-gospel" stream seems to want to adapt itself to the
prevailing secular peace movements and avoid stressing what God is
doing in His "controversy with the nations" (see Isaiah 34,
Jeremiah 25 and Jeremiah 30:16-17). It seems that there is a desire to
circumvent conflict and controversy, and all this in the day of battle! The
prophetess Deborah had some piercing words to level at the tribe of Reuben who
tried to avoid their wartime responsibilities to their fellow Israelites (see
Judges 5:15-16).
Another salient point – some Messianic Jewish people in
the "pro-gospel" stream may have been compromised through
co-option. Some Arab believing groups in
Let the gospel and the
land kiss each other!
The Sons of Korah were relatives of Moses and Aaron
(Exodus 6) and they were literally worshipping warriors (2
Chronicles 20:19-22). One of them wrote Psalm 85, and buried in the verses of
that psalm lies a key which can help to bring real reconciliation between the
'land' stream and the 'gospel' stream.
"Show us Your covenant faithfulness, YHVH, and grant us
Your salvation. I will listen to what YHVH God will say. He promises shalom to
His people, His 'made righteous' ones – but let them not return to foolishness!
Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, that His glory may dwell in
our land. Covenant faithfulness and truth have met up; righteousness and shalom
have kissed. Truth will sprout up from out of the land, and righteousness will
look down from Heaven" (Psalm 85:7-11
– my translation from the Hebrew).
God's faithfulness to His promises regarding the land
are not at conflict with His gospel call for Yeshua's righteousness to be
applied to
This newsletter is a plea for both sides in this spat to
come together and to kiss each other, to meet up and make up, and to pursue in truth the things that make for
peace.
By some strange quirk of history and linguistics, today
the English language uses the term "the judgment of
Solomon" half-correctly. That term describes a decision which destroys the issue
over which people are fighting rather than allowing either disputing party to
share in it. Another modern proverb which says much the same is "cutting off one's
nose to spite one's face".
Let those lovers of
In Messiah Yeshua's love,
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