The Garden Within | KORACH קֹרַח - Portion 38

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Teachers of Torah have coined the Hebrew term PaRDeS (פרדס – a word literally meaning “garden” or "orchid") to refer to a four-tiered system of biblical interpretation, which reveals that each word, verse, and story in the Bible could be simultaneously understood on four different levels.  

Through this year-long course, we will explore the very words of God from these levels of the garden.  The name The Garden Within was chosen for this teaching series because it adopts the PaRDeS system of learning and because it delights in the spiritual pleasure through reaching new understandings and being pierced by lightning flashes of the intellect. The pleasure gained, of course, also refers to the nearness we feel to God when learning His Word.

One of the primary goals of The Garden Within is to demonstrate that the “stories” in the Torah are not merely one-time occurrences, temporal incidents undergone by specific individuals long ago. Rather these stories are archetypal in nature, reflecting or representing various physical and spiritual energies ever present in all aspects of reality and within each and every person.  That is, the Torah is deeply personal and speaks directly to each individual reader for where they are in their life.  So, come, take a walk with God in the Garden of the Torah!

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:19

Good evening, everyone. Air of Tove. Welcome to the garden within as we continue our journey through the 54 portions of the Torah. We are finding ourselves in the midst of the book of Numbers this week. But before we get started, I want to make sure that I get this announcement out. Next week we will not have class because I am unavailable. But we will pick it up after that. So the next class will be June 29th, but no class on June 22nd. So no class next week, but we'll pick it back up after that is the plan. So just make sure you get that on your schedule. All right, so let's uh get started with the blessing before the study of Torah. We pray. Maruchatah Adenai, Elahenu Melakoilam, Ashekidishano Bomisfita, Vesivanu, Lesok Bidibrei Torah. Blessed are you, Lord God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with his commandments and has commanded us to be immersed into the words and the matters of Torah. Amen. All right, so this week of the Torah's 54 portions, we are in number 38 of those 54 portions. It is the portion known as Korach. Korach is a proper name and is the name of an individual known as Korach. It covers Numbers chapter 16 and goes through chapter 18, verse 32. Korach, I'll probably call them Korak through uh this evening, but in most English Bibles, he's usually not the hard kh sound and just Korah. So same individual. Um I may slip in and out of that, but I just it's just in my head, it's Korach. But if your Bibles have Korah, it's the same person. Uh it's just I'm used to the hard, the hard sound uh in the Hebrew. Uh so Korach is the name of a prominent Levite. And also the name of this, the 38th reading of the Torah portions. Uh the name comes from the first verse of the Torah portion where it says there in Numbers chapter 16, verse 1. Now Korach or Korah, the son of Izhar, and then it kind of gives, you know, kind of a genealogy, and then it'll say something along the lines of took action. And we'll talk a little bit about that verb. Uh, but this Torah portion essentially tells the story of how this individual known as Korach led an unsuccessful rebellion against Moses and Aaron. And at first, there we would therefore be inclined to think that this makes him a bad guy, right? He leads, he tries to lead a rebellion against none other than Moses and none other than Aaron, and he tries to supplant Aaron's uh claim to the priesthood and so forth. And that doesn't sound very good, and in many ways it's not very good. But we're gonna spend our time this evening looking at what is redeemable in Korak, uh, as well as learning uh a lesson from Korak. Um but after thwarting the insurrection, God confirms Aaron to the priesthood as the choice. And there is then provided additional legislation regarding both the priestly and the Levitical privileges and responsibilities. Uh and so that's kind of in a nutshell what the portion is about. And I think there's some practical implications there because again, Korak's objection is going to be something that sounds very good, it's gonna sound very common sense, it's gonna sound very biblical. In fact, he in essence is quoting the Bible to make his case. Uh, and so we could uh again learn something from that, and we can also learn that sometimes uh when God structures something, it's not about if it's fair or unfair. It's just it's just the way God has structured things, and it's just that's how it, that's the system we've been given, and it's for us to be faithful to that system. Uh so let's uh kind of look into the text here. Uh that opening verse, uh Korach, uh, and then again it gives that little bit of genealogy, and then it kind of ends with tuh. And we'll we'll break down that verb because it could be translated a couple of different ways, and I'll tell you those different ways. Uh, but it's if you remove the genealogy and just look at the subject and the verb, you kind of understand a little bit more about Korach, right? Korach took. Uh, and it's in the tense of verb where it's implying that he he took for himself, right? He he took something for himself. Um, and so let's look at this. So, Proverbs chapter 10, uh, it says this. It says, the mention of a righteous man shall be a blessing, but the name of the wicked shall rot. Now, in the Talmud, specifically in Tractate Yoma 38b, it interprets that passage from Proverbs 10 to mean that you shouldn't name your child after an evil or a corrupt or a wicked person, uh, because if you do, then that wicked person's name uh continues on. But if you do not name your child after this uh evil person or this wicked person, then that person's name can be put out of circulation and perhaps even out of memory. Uh but that's surprising then that a portion in the Torah would be named Korach, perpetuating the memory of a man who would lead a rebellion against Moses, against God's chosen redeemer, right? Moses is a foreshadow of the Messiah. Moses is God's chosen redeemer to bring his people out of bondage, to bring them out of Egypt, to redeem them from Pharaoh and bring them into the promised land. And he leads a rebellion against this chosen one, the greatest leader of all time in God's people, outside of the Messiah himself. If we shouldn't name our children after wicked or evil or contemptible people, then we probably shouldn't name our children after Korak. So why would we name a Torah portion after him? Evidently, despite Korak's serious wrongdoing, at the root of his rebellion there does lay a kernel of truth, a virtue we are actually called to emulate. Korak wanted to replace Aaron as the high priest. The attraction of this position was the extraordinary holiness, the sanctity that came with it, which is what enabled the high priest to go into the Holy of Holies. It enabled the high priest to stand in perfect union with God and to serve God constantly. And so the fact that Korak desired this at least hinted at the fact that there was at least a part of him that desired something holy. He desired God's presence, he desired to serve God, he desired to have union with God, he desired to have this unique special relationship with God. Those are things that aren't in and of themselves bad things at all, right? And so at its essence, Korak's aspiration was in many ways commendable. In fact, the Midrash relates that when Korak told his associates and they told Moses what he wished for, the Midrash says, Moses responded, quote, I too desire the same thing. And we're therefore, uh the title of the portion bears Korak's name, paying tribute to this admirable quest for holiness. Nevertheless, the first word of the portion in Hebrew is not the word Korak. It's actually the verb. In Hebrew, a lot of times the verb comes before the subject, even if it doesn't look that way in English. In English, you get the verb at the very end of the verse. In Hebrew, it's at the very beginning. And that verb is vajachach. And it's not included in the title. In other words, the title of the portion is not Vajach Korak, which would mean Korach took, or even Korach set himself apart. You could translate that verb korak took for himself, meaning he took something that really didn't belong to him, and he took it for himself. That's what the verb's implying, or that he took something and he set it apart for himself. Again, something that didn't belong to him. Again, emphasizing his rebellion against Moses, who at God's behest appointed only Aaron at that time to be the high priest. The word in Hebrew, Vajach, is therefore omitted from the title because Korak's deplorable actions and the strife he caused are not what we would seek to emulate and not what we would seek to memorialize. Korak's name, however, is enshrined in the Hebraic and the Torah tradition for his lofty dreams of drawing close and being in union with God, that is to be an inspiration for all time. But I want to talk a little more about this positive import of Korak. So as we kind of just discussed the name of this week's Torah reading, Korak, it provokes that very obvious question. If it's written in Proverbs chapter 10 that the name of the wicked shall rot, and on this basis, we're told we shouldn't name children after people of ill repute, then why would we name a section of the Torah after Korak when the Torah, the word of God, is something that's eternal. It's something that's going to last forever. And so for some 3,000 years, every year it's told we're going to read the portion Korak and we're even mentioning his name this evening. Why would we do that? And so here's a little bit maybe different perspective in answering that question, or at least a more full answer. Kind of gave you the quick rundown there at the beginning. I now kind of want to unpack it a little more with some, maybe some practical insight, some application to it. So most explanations to this question: why would we have a portion of the Torah of God's Word named after someone of maybe less than stellar character, someone who tried to have a revolt against God's anointed Redeemer and God's anointed high priest, both having foreshadows of Messiah himself. And so, in many ways, would be kind of a revolt against the role of Messiah. So why would we why would we want to name and keep that name and keep that memory of this person alive? What's positive about it? Korak wanting to be high priest, again, wanting to experience the closeness to God that results from that entry into the Holy of Holies. And again, as we talked about and mentioned, Moses responded to Korak and said, you know, hey, I would want that too. And didn't tell them that this objective was something that was unworthy. Moreover, at Mount Sinai, if you recall when we were in the book of Exodus, God himself, now this is where, again, Korak could say, hey, I'm only quoting God, you know, I'm only quoting the book of Exodus, although he wouldn't have had the book of Exodus per se, but he would have had the memory he was there at Sinai that the book of Exodus records. But he would have been able to say, hey, at Sinai, for you and I, the book of Exodus, did God not say that all of God's people are to be a kingdom of priests? And so what Korak was trying to say to Moses is, why are you trying to set apart this elite class? God has said, everybody is to be part of this nation of Israel. Everybody that's part of God's people, everybody that's going to be part of this kingdom, this kingdom of God, is to be a kingdom of priests. And you, Moses, you seem to be wanting to limit it not only to this tribe, but now you want to say, within this tribe, only Aaron can be the high priest. And then eventually only from Aaron can one of his four sons, and then from them, only one of the descendants of his four sons can be high priest. You're trying to limit what God Himself has said were to be a kingdom of priests. Would God not want us all to have this personal relationship with him? Would God not want all of us to be able to approach him? Would God not want all of us to have this union with him? Right? I mean, doesn't that sound biblical? Doesn't that sound like what God said in Exodus? Because it is what God said in Exodus? And commentators have interpreted this to refer this holiness, this kingdom of priests, that that is what the high priest attains when he goes into the Holy of Holies. That what they attained at Sinai is what the high priest attains whenever he enters into the Holy of Holies. And so all Korak was saying was, weren't we all rightfully given this? Aren't we all kind of putting it maybe in language we would understand? Aren't we all children of God? Aren't we all born again, imbued with the Holy Spirit, saved by grace through faith? Aren't we all the same in God's eyes? That is, every person has this potential within them. Isn't that what the scriptures say? As such, Korak's complaint was based on an essential truth. The entire congregation is holy, and God is in their midst. That is a quote from the Bible. Every member of God's people indeed has a spark of holiness within them. And Korak and his followers wanted this spark within them to flourish. Indeed, they were willing to risk everything, even their lives, for such a heightened spiritual experience. Therefore, even after Moses told them that bringing the incense offering would eventually and ultimately mean their deaths, they didn't hesitate. They were willing to die for this. That's how serious they were. Naming the Torah reading Korak highlights the potential for spiritual growth that each of us possess and the desire we should know or should show to make this potential manifest. This explanation is, however, insufficient. For good intentions are not enough. It is also our actions and not just our intent that God sees and that God judges. Whatever Korak's intentions may have been, he also created a controversy which resulted in the deaths of thousands of people. It does not seem proper to immortalize this message as the name of one of the Torah readings, then. And moreover, the very name Korak is associated with division. The Hebrew word root of the word Korak literally means division or means to split. And so the sages have associated Korak not only in fact but also in source with divisive tendencies. Division runs in direct opposition to the purpose of the Word of God, to the purpose of Torah, which was given solely to bring peace to the world. And so again, why does a name synonymous with division serve as one of the names of the weekly Torah readings? Because there's a more comprehensive oneness that is going on. The resolution of this question depends on the definition of unity. Absolute elementary oneness is impossible in our material world. As Rashi comments, quote, the Holy One, blessed be he, has defined limits in his world. Can you turn morning into evening? End quote. In other words, Rashi is saying this world as we know it, in three-dimensional reality, it's been given certain limits, it's been given certain boundaries, and we can't change that. And some of that is separation, some of that is distinction. There is morning and there's evening, and you can't change one into the other. There is male and there is female, and you can't change one into the other. There is up and there is down, there is north and there is south, there is east and there is west, and you can't make one the other. Like these there are certain boundaries that exist in this world. Every entity has its own distinct nature. And the concept of division need not, however, run contrary to our endeavors toward unity. On the contrary, unity is more complete when it actually encompasses divergent entities. And this is where unity does not mean uniformity. And I wish how our Lutheran Church Missouri Synod would quickly realize this fact. Unity doesn't mean everyone has to look the same, behave the same, act the same, and do everything exactly the same as everybody else. Instead, real unity is when there are divergent entities involved in the unity, each with a nature of its own. And this is the intent of the peace which the Word of God was given to establish. Not that differences should not exist, but that they should exist in some kind of harmony, that they should be complementary toward one another and completing one another, just like male and female don't compete against one another, they complement one another and they work with one another. Positive and negative energy don't compete with one another, they complement one another and they work with one another. And there is thus a place for Korak in the Torah. For the Torah teaches that division can serve positive purposes and that diversity need not lead to strife. Nevertheless, God desires humanity to achieve this multifaceted unity on its own initiative. He gives humanity the power and the responsibility to accomplish this goal and the free choice to determine the direction of the effort. This is also reflected in Korak's conduct. He saw that after the sins of the golden calf and the spies, that Moses had prayed to God, and that that had averted heavenly decrees. Similarly, Korak felt that although God granted Moses and Aaron their positions, he saw that, he witnessed that, he knew that. He thought it might be possible through sincere prayer to effect a change and achieve his own spiritual ambitions. He simply made the wrong choice. Rather than further unity by heightening the people's connection with Moses and Aaron, he took a different course. Instead of seeing their potential harmony, he caused the differences to clash. Korak never realized his mistake. His children did, however, and according to Tractate Sanhedrin, they proclaimed Moses is true and his Torah is true. And if you read the book of Psalms, you will see his descendants. Are the authors of some of those Psalms. They realize that the truth which Moses taught is the means to bring about unity among God's people, and that would enable every individual to fulfill his or her potential. And so it's a matter of time. From a mystic perspective, it is explained that Korach's desire reflected the spiritual heights to be reached in the era of the redemption. In other words, what Korach wanted was holy. And it is something that will ultimately be realized, but it was not to be realized at that time. He wanted something prematurely. It was something that would be granted in the time of Messiah. That Messiah would be the one that would bring about this great priesthood of all believers, but Korach wanted it then and there immediately. This is what in theology is known as an overrealized eschatology. In other words, Korak knew the end game and he wanted it now instead of waiting for the game to play out. The Levites, Korah's tribe, at the time of Messiah, would be elevated to the station of priests, as would all of God's people, and they would reach the power and the pinnacle of spiritual experience. As Joel prophesied, Joel 3, verse 1, at that time, time of Messiah, I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh. The rewards of that age cannot, however, be attained prematurely, and that was Korak's great mistake. He wanted now what was reserved for later. And Korak thus also offers us a positive lesson in patience, where sometimes we want now what is reserved for later. And so that gives us some things to think about in our own life. Like if you are one, when you read the text of the Torah for the week and you live in the times, whether it's your journaling or in discussions with other people, where are you trying to demand from God now what may be reserved for later? In other words, what you're wanting, it's not that it's unbiblical or that you can't find biblical merit for it. And it's not wrong in that you're praying for it or expecting great things from God, right? But maybe it's just not for now. Maybe it's for later. And so praying for the wisdom to be able to discern that, to recognize that, to be aware of that. That's one of the fundamental lessons of Korak, which is why he's not all that bad. And in fact, in the oral tradition, he has said that in the world to come, you know, um, for us in the the advent of Messiah, when Messiah truly takes his throne uh uh and and rules the world, that Korak will indeed be a high priest. So that you know, there is again a holiness to him, but it was a misguided holiness. And sometimes we can get misguided in our holiness as well. And that's that's the important lesson of Korak, and that's why his name is worth being preserved. All right. Now there are a couple of interesting things in the portion of Korak that point to the Messiah, what I would call shadows of the Messiah or hints of the Messiah. Um think of it in terms of a theological term, typology. You can kind of see types of the messiah. Uh, you know, once you look into the the New Testament, you can you can make these connections and so forth. And there are quite a few in this week's portion. I want to share two of them that I think are pretty deep, uh, that could easily quickly be overlooked. One of them I somewhat write about in a different way in my book, uh, In the Shadow of the Cross, when we look at uh this week's portion has Aaron's uh rod that buds, right? Um that uh that's a very clear connection to the resurrection, uh, that staff. And so we'll we'll talk about that uh slightly different perspective than it is in the book, but that's an important messianic shadow uh in this week's text, is Aaron's rod, his staff. Uh as well as when you look um, so the connection to resurrection, but another connection to resurrection is when you look at the event of Korak, um, the fact that it's three days and three nights, and it involves swallowing into the ground and all of these kinds of things, uh, it also has, I think, a hinting to the resurrection. So let's look at uh a couple of these hints of the Messiah, shadows of the Messiah, uh, you know, sun and scriptures kind of theme here. Uh so Numbers chapter 17, verse 2. It says, Speak to the sons of Israel and get from them a rod for each father's household. Twelve rods from all their leaders according to their father's households. You shall write each name on his rod. So Korak and his fellow rebels challenged Aaron to the priesthood. They basically said, We don't think you're the only one who can be a priest. We think we can be priests. We think we should be priest, we think anyone who feels a calling within their heart can be a priest. Sounds very biblical, doesn't it, right? We are all priests here. We don't think you're the only priest. So they challenged Aaron. Okay? So this is kind of, you think of other showdowns in the Bible. You got in what, 1 Kings 18, you got Elijah and his God versus uh the prophets of Baal and Baal, and it's like people are waffling, and finally Elijah's like, look, we can't keep going back and forth. We're gonna have to choose, is it, you know, the God of Israel or is it Baal? Which one is it? Let's have a showdown. Here's the rules of the match, let's do it. So, same kind of thing here. We don't think your God's anointed to be the only high priest. You're claiming you're divinely appointed and you're the only one that's divinely appointed. So Moses says, let's have a showdown. And this is setting the rules here. Okay. God vindicates in number 17, God vindicates Aaron and establishes his right to the priesthood by means of a miraculous sign. So he tells Moses to collect 12 staffs, one from each head of each of the twelve tribes. So Moses collects the staffs. The tribal staffs are significant in that they represented each tribe. The Hebrew word for staff or rod is the Hebrew word mate, M-A-T-E-H. Mate. That's significant because it's the same as the Hebrew word for tribe. So rod, staff, tribe, they all come from the same Hebrew word, mate. The tribal staffs, therefore, would have been heirlooms, passed on from one generation leader to the next generation leader. The head elder of a tribe would have kept the staff as a sign of his authority over his tribe. Okay? So you can think, like what, when King Charles was recently coronated, he sat on the coronation chair that's literally almost sawdust because that's the chair the King of England has been coronated in, or the queen or king has been coronated in, I don't know for how many hundreds of years and so forth, and same with the crown jewels and all of that. Certain things represent authority. So it is with these mates, right? Means tribe, means staff, represents the authority. So Moses says, grab those. Let's get those and let's have a contest. Aaron was the head, elder over all of the tribe of Levi. One might suppose that Moses would have been in that position of honor, but in fact, Aaron was older than Moses, and even more so, Moses was the head over all of Israel. And so the place of the tribal head over Levi remained with his brother Aaron. Moses placed the twelve staffs, the twelve Matees, in the tabernacle before the Lord overnight. And then the next morning he discovered that Aaron's staff had blossomed. The blossoming of the staff was the definitive sign that vindicated not only Moses' authority, but also God's appointment through Moses of Aaron as priest. Because these are generation-old dead sticks, right? These aren't new sticks, they aren't with like roots on them or anything like that. They're not still green with leaves on them. This is your great-grandfather's wooden cane, right? So it has no life in it. And then in the morning, Aaron's has got all of this life to it. Okay. Now, this story does actually give us a hint of the Messiah. As we progress through the story, we notice that the entire episode of Korak's Rebellion follows a very tight sequence. It all begins on a certain day when, as Numbers 16, verse 3 says, they assembled together against Moses and Aaron. This corresponds to the day that the Sanhedrin assembled against our Messiah, when they arrested him, when they tried him. We'll call this day one. Korak's attempt to overthrow Moses and Aaron corresponds to the crucifixion of Messiah, as it is written in Psalm 2, verses 2 and 3. The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his Meshiach, his Messiah, his anointed, saying, Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us. Anointed is a word that not only refers to the Messiah, meaning like our Messiah, but it was a word used to refer to the high priest. The high priest was also called the anointed. Korak can be likened to Caiaphas. Dathan and Abiram, two of the main co-conspirators with Korak, to the Judean leadership. In Numbers 16, verse 4, Moses answers the rebels by saying, Tomorrow morning the Lord will show who he is and who is holy. He probably said this sometime in the late afternoon, perhaps after the afternoon sacrifice. If he had spoken earlier in the day, Moses might have suggested that they attempt to offer their incense offering that afternoon. Instead, Moses challenged them to a contest of sorts that was to be conducted the following day at the time of the morning sacrifice. This corresponds to the death of the Messiah, who was removed from the cross and closed in a tomb after the afternoon sacrifice. That night was the first night. Korak and the Levites made their firepans ready for the contest of the priesthood in the morning. That night corresponds to the Messiah's first night in the tomb, and the next morning was the second day of the affair, the day of the contest. Korak assembled all of the congregation at the tabernacle, and things did not work out for Korak and the Levites on his side. Though Numbers sixteen, verse thirty-five says, Fire also came forth from the Lord and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering the incense. Meanwhile Korak and his household were swallowed by the earth, Numbers sixteen, verse thirty-three. They and all that belonged to them went down alive to Sheol, and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. That was enough excitement for one day, the second day of the Korak narrative. That night was the second night of the story corresponding to Messiah's second night in the tomb. The next day the story continues. Numbers sixteen, verse forty-one, we read, But on the next day all the congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying, You are the ones who have caused the death of the Lord's people. This occurred on the third day of the narrative, and God unleashed a plague in the midst of Israel. And Aaron then proved his worth as the true priest of the people. He took his censer of incense, interposed himself between the people and the plague, and by this act of intercession he staved off the plague, and he staved off the Lord's wrath against Israel, and he saved the people. That same day God told Moses to collect the twelve staffs, place them in the tabernacle in front of the ark. That night, the third night of the narrative corresponds to the third night in the tomb. Then the next morning, which would correspond to the resurrection, is when the dead stick of Aaron was resurrected with living blossom. The righteous branch of David will follow up on this idea of this staff of Aaron connecting to the resurrection. Numbers 17, verses 8 and 9 says, Behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi has sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds. The blossoming of Aaron's staff again is the definitive sign that indicates God's choice that Aaron is in fact the chosen high priest. But what is it really? What is this staff? A staff is nothing but a dead branch of wood, a dry, lifeless stick, again, especially in this context, one that's passed on from generation to generation. When the staff blossoms and bring forth blood buds producing almonds, it means it's coming back to life. In number 17, the definitive sign of God's choice, therefore, is resurrection. When God wants to indicate, this is my man, this is my choice, he is my selection, resurrection is the way that he proves that individual is his choice. And so too it is with our Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. His resurrection is the definitive sign that he is God's choice. The blossoming of Aaron's rod evokes a host of messianic imagery from the prophets. In order to fully understand the significance of this imagery, we're going to dig a little bit into some Hebrew. The prophecy of Isaiah 11, verse 1, it refers to the Messiah as a shoot that springs forth and as a branch, a netzer in Hebrew, that blossoms and bears fruit, growing out of the otherwise lifeless stump of the Davidic family tree. So Isaiah 11, verse 1 says, basically trying to describe David's family tree, right? Think of those images of a family tree, you know, and it's a tree, and you have all these people in the tree. That Isaiah's going to say, look, it's going to look like the Davidic line, the kingly line of David, which Messiah is going to come from. It's going to look like the nations have mowed that tree down. That doesn't exist anymore. But Isaiah says, actually, though, there's a stump left. There's a stump left. And then he says, and a shoot will spring forth from the stem of Jesse, from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. It is very likely that the Davidic clan that founded the community of Nazareth named their community Nazareth in Hebrew Nazareth in anticipation of the fulfillment of Isaiah's words through them. Because Nazareth in Hebrew means branch town. So you think about in the Bible, King Herod. Herod desperately wanted to be known as King of the Jews. But he was no Jew, and the Jews knew that. And they were never going to recognize him as their king. He was an Edomite. He was from Esau. He was not from the right line. And they were never going to recognize him with that. But he desperately wanted it, and he tried to arrange marriages and so forth. And so he got so desperate that he decided, right, Matthew's gospel, I'm just going to eliminate the Davidic line. And so he began, slaughter of the innocents. Anybinting that they're from the line of David? Herod killed them. And so if you are part of the line of David, you're probably thinking, you know what? I don't think I want to live under Herod's jurisdiction anymore. And so they didn't. And so they left Bethlehem. They left the town of David. And they moved north. And they moved north into the Galilee region, which was not Herod's territory. And they founded three villages. One of them they named Bethlehem. There's a Bethlehem of the Galilee. Another one they named Kokba, which means star, after the prophecy in the Torah, that there would be this star and so forth that comes from the line of Jacob and so forth. And then they named the third town that had the clan of David, Netzarit, Nazareth, Branchtown. And each of those towns prayed and hoped that the Messiah would come from their town. Okay. That is the origin of Branchtown, of Nazareth. Every son born to the descendant of the Davidic dynasty have that hope that their baby boy would maybe be the Netzer, the branch of Isaiah 11, verse 1. And this is what the Gospel of Matthew refers to in Matthew 2, verse 23, when Matthew writes, He came and resided in a city called Nazareth. That's referring to Jesus. That what was spoken of through the prophet would be fulfilled, that he would be called a Netzer, one from Nazareth. In Isaiah chapter 4, verse 2, the prophet looks into the days of the coming messianic kingdom, and he declares these words. Again, Isaiah is referring to Messiah as a branch. By the title branch of the Lord, he means Messiah. But in this passage, he uses a different Hebrew word for branch. He doesn't use the Hebrew word netzer as he did in Isaiah 11, but he uses the Hebrew word zemach, zemach, which can mean a branch or a sprout or a blossom. And the verbal form zamach means to sprout or to blossom forth. Zemach is a title the prophets use for Messiah. After Isaiah coined the term Zemach as a title for Messiah, other prophets began to use it as a name for the Messiah. In fact, I'll give you two instances where Jeremiah uses it, referring to Messiah as the righteous branch, Zamach, of David. Jeremiah 23, verse 5, Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a rat righteous branch, Zemak, and he will reign as a king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. Or Jeremiah 33, verse 15. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous branch, Zemak of David, to spring forth. There's the verbal form, and he shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth. In the Jeremiah 33 passage, Jeremiah uses both the noun and the verb form of the word. And I will cause to spring forth Zemak, a righteous branch, Zemak. It's a word play. The sages who compose the daily prayers have read an intimation of resurrection into this passage. Just as Aaron's rod came back from the dead when it blossomed and bloomed, the word zemak hints at resurrection. So there is an ancient prayer in Judaism called the Amidah, A-M-I-D-A-H. The Amidah. It's also called the standing prayer. Amidah means to stand in Hebrew. It was a prayer that, at least in its rudimentary forms, existed at the time of Jesus, which means every time you read in your gospels that Jesus was in a synagogue, or you read Jesus was on the temple mount, Jesus prayed this prayer without a doubt. If Jesus was worshiping in a synagogue or a temple, he prayed this prayer. Okay? And the apostles would have prayed this prayer as faithful Jews of their time three times a day. You pray it in the morning, you prayed in the afternoon, you prayed in the evening. And Jews still to this day pray it three times a day. And I want to share this with you because not only can you see that Jews were praying this before Jesus arrived, so you can see how Jesus answers the prayer, but you will hopefully find it amazing that Jews still pray it today. And so that praying for salvation in Jesus' name, praying for resurrection, praying for Messiah is still on their lips. And we pray and trust, just as he answered it once, may he with God's grace answer it again. And so the Amida is broken up into 18 portions, 18 short benedict uh petitions. Like the Lord's Prayer has seven. This has eighteen. So there's like a petition for healing, there's a petition for protection, there's a petition for peace, a petition for like, you know, your authority figures, and there's a a petition, uh, it's the second petition that is for resurrection. And a part of that petition says, You are a king who causes death and resurrects, and who causes salvation to sprout forth. Zemak, that branch word. Now, what's fascinating is the Hebrew word for salvation is Yeshua. And so the prayer can be understood to mean who makes Yeshua to sprout forth, who makes Yeshua, who makes Jesus come forth. And even better yet, who resurrects Jesus. So here's the full second blessing of the Amidah. Again, this would have been prayed before Jesus' incarnation. I love that idea that Jews would have been praying this before he's born of the Virgin Mary. And I love that they still pray it today. You are powerful forever, my master. You resurrect the dead, fully able to save. He sends down the dew, he sustains those who live with devotion, resurrects the dead with abundant compassion, supports those who fall, heals the sick, sets the captives free, and maintains his faithfulness with those who sleep in the dust. Who is like you, capable of acts of power, and who can compare with you? You are a king who causes death and resurrects, and who causes Yeshua to blossom, to come forth. Like you send Yeshua, and you are faithful to resurrect the dead. Blessed are you, O Lord, who resurrects the dead. The prophet Zechariah took the Zamoch title for the Messiah even further. In Zechariah 3, verse 8, God promises those who have returned from Babylon in the Babylonian captivity. He says these words. Now listen, I'm going to bring my servant, the branch, the Zamoch. In this prophecy, Zechariah applies two messianic titles to the Messiah. My servant, the servant of the Lord, again, a title of the Messiah from the prophet Isaiah, and the branch, another title of Messiah from Isaiah and Jeremiah. And again, in one of the blessings from the Amada is a prayer for the Messiah to come. Again, I love the idea that Jews, the apostles, before they ever saw Jesus, were praying this exact prayer you're about to see in their synagogues. I mean, talk about an answered prayer. So when the sages composed the daily prayers, they incorporated Messiah's Zamak title into the prayer for the Messiah. Like Jeremiah and Zechariah, they use both the noun and the verb form. This is the 14th blessing of the Ameda. May you cause the branch, the Zamak of David, your servant, to sprout forth, the Zamak quickly, whose horn will be raised with your Yeshua, your salvation. For we hope for Yeshua all day long. Imagine that. They were praying for Yeshua all day long before he came. Blessed are you, Lord, who causes the horn of Yeshua to Zemach. As in the second blessing of the Amidah, the word salvation, Yeshua, is paired with the verb to sprout forth Zemach. How remarkable that the daily prayers of Judaism entreat God to send the Messiah and virtually ask for him by his name. And just as God caused Aaron's staff, a dead branch to blossom forth to life, Yeshua, Jesus, is the blossoming branch of David. All right. We will end there for this evening because those are some deep stuff, some good things to think about. I always just uh I just love that. Like when I was uh, you know, I think I've shared with you, most of you know, some at least cursory in my history, that um, you know, have Judaism in my family and so forth, learning those prayers and realizing, you know, when I learned Hebrew and realized I was praying for Yeshua, right? And then you then you really realize like I was praying for Yeshua, right? That's amazing. It's amazing. Uh and so may our Jewish brothers and sisters who every day, three times a day, pray for Yeshua, may their eyes be opened to see that they are praying for Yeshua. And he is there, and he is the resurrected one, and he is their Messiah indeed. All right, let's close with the blessing. Baruchata Alonai Notain Hatarah. Blessed are you, Lord God, who has given to us the gift that is the Torah. Amen. Shum Shlom, go in peace. Hi, everyone. 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