The encounter with God (Exodus 3) turns Moses’ life upside down. After Moses had lost his liberty, God took him in order to liberate the people of Israel through him. It is not an easy path, it is a path full of surprises.

God introduces himself as the I AM. Not as the creator. God defines himself in being, not in doing. Perhaps we too should define ourselves more in being. If we have committed ourselves to Jesus, then we are children of God and that is enough. We should love God for who He is, not for what He does for us.

Secondly, it is striking that God does not reveal himself in such a way that we can dispose of him by calling him by name. He defines himself as a God in relationship with us human beings. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He spoke to all these forefathers. He promised them all that he would bless all nations through Israel. God keeps his promises. God keeps his word.

It is also stunning that God reveals himself in a thorn bush. We would have expected something else. Like the shepherds in Bethlehem, the heavens open and the glory of God appears. Throughout the Bible this is a recurring theme: God reveals his love through suffering. When all else fails, God is there. Continue reading References to Jesus in Moses →

In Matthew 2:15, the account of the escape of Jesus’ family to Egypt, we read: “This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet (Hosea 11:1), Out of Egypt I called my son.”

Moses is the prototype of the Saviour and the mediator between God and mankind.

The name Moses means “drawn from the water”. Pharaoh threw the children of Israel into the water and God drew a boy out of the water as a saviour. The great paradox is that it is Pharaoh’s daughter who becomes the key figure in the whole rescue story. God turns the story around with a woman.

The whole story is also a foreshadowing of the birth of Jesus. Moses and Jesus are both saviours; both have to be saved first as children.

For both mothers, they are no longer “their sons”. Moses has become a child of the royal house through Pharaoh’s daughter, and Jesus is the Son of God.

As in the story of Moses, Jesus is cared for by the courage of a woman and the faithfulness of Joseph. Jesus and Moses had extraordinary births and only escaped with their lives because of God’s intervention.

God often does things differently than we think. God is in control and we can know it: He cares and is there. He can also turn adversity into something good.

Continue reading Moses, the prototype of the Saviour →

When Jacob blessed his sons, he said to Judah, the fourth-born son, in Genesis 49:10: “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be“. 

Shiloh is an anticipated ruler who remains anonymous. Some interpret the name as “until he comes to whom it belongs“. The Greek edition of the Torah (Septuagint / LXX) translates: τὰ ἀποκείμενα (tá apokeímena) “that which is preserved / that which is present / that which exists”.

The gematrically trained Kabbalist recognises from the numerical value of ‘shiloh’ and Messiah that both are of the same essence. And so the incomprehensible word ‘shiloh’ takes on meaning.

According to Onkelos, Midrash Rabbah and Rashi, the name Shiloh refers to the future King Messiah.

The Ba’al HaTurim notes that the numerical value of the letters of the name Shiloh is exactly the same as the name of Moses. The Mekubal Rabbi Haim Vital in his Sha’ar HaPesukim (Vayehi 20B) points out the mystical relationship between Moses and the Messiah. One was the first saviour, the other will be the last.

The Torah mysteriously points to a Messiah who will be a ruler whom all nations will serve.

Isaiah says: “I will make you (the Servant of God) as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth“ (Isaiah 49:6).

Jesus says in John 12:46: “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness”. 

Continue reading Shiloh, whom all nations will serve →

The story of Joseph is a model for the way of Christ.

Joseph reveals himself to his brothers not as a judge, but as a saviour. He says: “God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance” (Genesis 45:7).

Later, when their father Jacob had died, the brothers were afraid again. But Joseph had forgiven them. He did not want to bring up the matter again. When his brothers did, Joseph wept (Genesis 50:17). It hurt him deeply that his brothers did not trust him.

In Genesis 50:20, Joseph says: “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today”.

Even our bad choices do not prevent God from turning our lives into blessings.

Joseph never cried about himself and his situation, but only about his brothers.

It is the same with Jesus. He is totally committed to us. He weeps and struggles for us. He takes our guilt upon Himself and holds nothing against us. He is full of love. Nothing hurts him more than when we don’t trust his words and keep bringing up our mistakes.

Continue reading Messiah Ben Joseph →

When Jacob is at the end of his possibilities, God gives him a new identity. From now on, God will fight for him.

When a man stands in Jacob’s way at the ford of the Jabbok (Nahr ez-Zarqa), he probably does not know who he is dealing with (Genesis 32:25-32). Is it one of Esau’s fighters or Esau himself? He enters the fight and struggles with his unknown opponent. When he suddenly dislocates his hip, he is on the defensive. But he does not want to give up, he wants the recognition of the divine promises.

Only when Jacob is blessed do his eyes open: It is not his brother Esau, but God who has appeared to him in human form. From now on he is to be called “Israel”. This means: “El (God) is fighting”.

Jesus was tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1-11), who suggested that he should help himself and not wait for God to act. But Jesus refused to help himself.

When we stop fighting for ourselves but hold on to God and leave the battle to Him, we experience a new dimension in our lives. Jesus says in John 1:12: “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Through Jesus we are given a new identity. As God’s children, the heavenly Father takes care of us.

Jacob goes from being a “heel-holder” (the meaning of his first name) to a “God-holder” for whom God takes care. Continue reading New identity →

Advent images in the Torah / 12

Jacob fights for his rights promised by God and loses everything. At a low point, God meets him in a dream. He sees a ladder to heaven and God promises him that he will look to his rights and that through him blessing will come for all the people (Genesis 24:12-15).

It is exciting that Jesus also speaks of a ladder to heaven in the New Testament: “You will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man” (John 1:51).

The shepherds in the field had already seen heaven open and full of angels (Luke 2:13). Continue reading The ladder to heaven →

The king-priest Melchizedek of Salem brings the blood-stained Abraham back under God’s blessing through bread and wine. After turning his eyes back to God, Abraham expresses his enthusiasm for the blessing he has received by giving Melchizedek ten percent (Gen 14:18-20).

David writes about the Messiah in Psalm 110,1.4: “The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool. … You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

Melchizedek means: “My King of justice and peace”. He is a figure for the reconciling ministry of the Messiah Jesus, who sits at the right hand of God (Mark 16:19 / Luke 22:69).

Jesus comes from the royal line of David and represents a priestly, reconciling ministry. Through bread and wine, he symbolised that we are reconciled to God through his coming and death on the cross. Jesus gives bread and wine as a sign of renewal. By accepting them as Abraham did, we place ourselves under God’s blessing. God is acting, and we express our thankfulness to him.

Abraham let himself be served. He could have been proud of the victory he had won. But he did not. He accepted the meal. He let himself be blessed. He joined in the praise of God and gave God what belong to him.

Continue reading A king-priest like Melchizedek →

In Genesis 18, YHWH visits Abraham. He is not just a human apparition, for he eats butter, milk and meat. Because Abraham and Sarah can’t have children, God announces a miracle for them. They will have a son.

Elizabeth and Zechariah had a similar experience with their son, John the Baptist. It was a miracle to have a child at their age.

Jesus’ birth was also a miracle. For only a virgin birth can be a sign from God, as predicted in Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

If God could come to Abraham as a man, he can come to us through Jesus. Immanuel means: “God with us”.

When Jesus was talking to the scribes, they asked him: Continue reading God visits Abraham →

Noah’s Ark is an exciting symbol. It is actually God’s ark, because the idea comes from God. God speaks to Noah and calls him to lead the project.

God could have had countless possibilities for a new beginning. But he does not want to turn anyone upside down against his will and chooses the exodus (relocation). Those who allow themselves to be called are given a new chance.

A few things stand out here: God wants to act through human beings. He calls Noah. He gives the plan. He sends the animals. He closes the door and gives a promise with the rainbow.

Jesus calls the disciples and wants to work through them. He shows them that the kingdom of God is a matter of the heart. Seeking people are added through the Holy Spirit. The focus remains on people who long for the presence of God. Jesus says: „Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). No one is forced into anything. The kingdom of God is a community that engages with God and is inspired by his promises.
Continue reading God is calling →