Tape 3 - Christian Reflections from the Jewish Family

The Aaronic Benediction and the Peace of God

Port it to Jewish people not even talk about the nation of Israel, but hasn't known any peace since its day of inception since 1948. But the concept of peace is a beloved thing amongst Jewish people. Now the final benediction.

Would you tell me look at probably the most famous one of the most famous? Benedictions of all time in Numbers chapter 6 and then we'll take a brief Standing break or something in in the book of Numbers chapter 6.

This is called the Aaronic benediction. The Aaronic benediction, we're talking about peace. Look at chapter 6 verse 24. Numbers chapter 6 verse 24 speak unto Aaron and say in verse 23 saying in this way you shall bless the children of Israel saying unto them.

And you hear this all the time you're quoting So many places it is one of the most famous in the world. The Lord blessed thee and keep thee. The Lord make his face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee.

The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace. The last word in the Aaronic benediction is peace. Is peace. Turn me to Genesis chapter 15. Genesis chapter 15. Peace is something that is exalted in the Word of God.

It is that which is exalted throughout Scripture. It is exalted within Christianity in Genesis chapter 15 verse 15. This is what it said to Abraham was promised and thou shall go to thy father's in Peace if I in peace it says.

Just up to 28 Jacob. He asked for basically one thing. It just really verse 21. So that I come again to my father's house in peace then shall the Lord be my God. And I come back home. I want to come to my father's house in peace.

I want to come in peace. I want to live in peace like that. God praised that priest was saying my covenant was with him life and peace in Numbers chapter 25. Numbers 25 you say why didn't we look at that when we were in numbers?

Numbers 25 Phinehas for all of his zeal was rewarded in Numbers 25 verse 12. Wherefore say behold I give unto him my covenant of peace. God himself is called the God of peace in Isaiah 9 verse 6. His name shall be called wonderful counselor mighty God everlasting father saw shalom prince of peace.

Prince of peace he gives peace in the heart. Israel sages the wise Jewish writers of old the Jewish leaders the great old men of Judaism. They lit a lantern and they lit that lantern and they set it in every Jewish home to eliminate it with what they call The light of peace and you find Jewish homes are very strong about this on Shabbat Friday at 6 o 'clock or sundown Friday to sundown Saturday Saturday at 6 o 'clock on Shabbat Sabbath the Sabbath candles are lit in each Jewish home.

Regardless of where they are in the world somehow other there were Jewish prisoners of war that found and made them Little candles and found ways to light those candles wherever was possible. Of course, sometimes it wasn't but if at all in their sales, they lit those candles and Sabbath light is called the light of peace.

Sabbath light represents to the Jewish person shalom by eat peaceful home peaceful home. Well the poorest of the poor they say and it makes no difference the educated uneducated. Everyone can light the Sabbath light.

They can light the light of peace and on the Sabbath whatever anger and whatever resentment That has taken place between the families during that week. It is forgiven and forgotten on the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a happy joyous time for those of you that have been to Israel and you see the welcome Welcoming in of the Shabbat the Sabbath you go down to what we call the Western Wall.

Jim Dodd's call it the Wailing Wall, but you go to the Western Wall and you stand there and there'll be sometimes 20 30 40 and I have been there when there have been 80 ,000 people will be gathered just before 6 o 'clock on Friday afternoon and all of a sudden We're in the background about a half a mile away.

You hear voices. You can't quite make them out and then they begin to come closer and closer and you make out that it's it has a melody and then soon you begin to hear a tune you begin to hear the words and You look up and all of a sudden here comes several rabbis and there may be a hundred and fifty two to three hundred teenage boys with their white shirts Yarmulkes dark trousers locked on an arm.

Let me ten across the road and they may be just rolls and rolls and rolls of them like a whining Snake as it comes down those paths walking towards that wall singing a song. Welcoming the Sabbath. The Sabbath is like a person that comes that brings joy and peace and excitement.

They'll wind to the Western Wall and they begin to pray and sing. We're wilting lullabies and melodies and all this a time of rejoicing and there's something to see. 80 ,000 people singing and rejoicing that that day that reminds them of their covenant with God has arrived.

And there is no room for anger. There is no room for resentment. It is a time of rejoicing look to God that you and I could be the same on the Lord's Day. That day we come into the house of God looking like we've been to a funeral procession.

We come in looking like we're going to the death row. We walk in the house of God and we leave the house of God as if someone has sentenced us to death when our God is alive and Jesus is alive and we are children of light.

Not children of day. And we brought into a community that lives that way every day and we show them nothing different in our countenance. We show them the same dismal look that is upon their face. We exemplify to them that same longing for peace that we say we have but most of the time we don't.

And they know the difference. They know that so there's nothing there for the Holy Spirit to attract them. Bees come to honey hummingbirds come to nectar. If you have that which they can dine upon they will come.

If you have that which will meet their need they will come. The God will attract them to it. He will attract them to that. No sacrifice is too dear or too precious. No sacrifice is too high to have peace in a home.

It ought to be supreme in our thinking peace between a husband and a wife. Husband and wife and children children and their parents to have peace with one another. Now listen to me carefully. Because you may not have it.

Do not believe that it is not possible to have. Do not assume that every person acts like you do. Don't assume that every person reacts like you do. Don't assume that you are the norm. I May be normal for me, but there may be someone who's walking closer to the Lord.

Peace Comes into the hands of a man and a home a tremendous weapon whereby he can demolish enmity and If he really strives for peace in that home if a man strives for it, it'll happen. If a woman strives for it, it may never come.

Because it is the man's responsibility To see that that atmosphere prevails and pervades itself in that home. Let's take a moment and we'll come back and talk about women about 10 minutes about 10 minutes and Turning me to that marvelous passage of scripture that you all know where proverbs 31.

We're not gonna spend a lot of time in it but I Might say you know that It's one that you've developed and in Jewish life that you find in Jewish writings a lot of talking about a woman of valor and You remember I said that the Lord is the queen of the home.

She's the queen of beauty. She's the queen of love. She is the queen of compassion in Proverbs 31 verse 10. Who can find a virtuous woman for her price is far above rubies a woman of valor? Who can find for her price is far above rubies a woman of valor?

It is said that in this passage. It is given in praise of a woman who deliberately knowingly by her own will Gives up her father's ways. Gives up her family and is willing to leave her family to come over to another Situation and give up all that her father has for her and all that she has in our home in order to partake and be.

A participant in the husband or the father's ways are those of her husband. She smiles upon him when he's angry. She honors him in poverty or wealth where he's rich or poor. She honors him and She loves him and stays with him and honors him in old age as well as youth.

In Jewish life women are considered agents of Redemption. She is considered an agent of Redemption in every generation. At the very hour when all seemed hopeless When everything seemed to be lost virtuous women women of Valor have sweetened their husbands lives.

Have consoled them in times of adversity and have kindled a spark of hope that a better time was coming. Stand fast a better times coming. We can make it we can do it as she encouraged him in those times the Jewish sages and by sages I mean the wise men of Judaism those that you don't read about those men who had such a man who came after.

During the time of Jesus they developed some Jewish leaders. Many began to interpret the Old Testament and many began to make commentaries on them. Many began to try to explain to the Jewish people what the scripture was saying.

They weren't Christians, but they are called the Jewish sages, you know. The sages of Judaism and then what one of them said he who is blessed with a good wife will never lack though He be poor in material goods.

There was nothing he will never lack anything. Well, look at Proverbs 31 verse 11 the heart of her husband does safely trust in her so that he should have no need of spoil. That's the King James. It says the heart of her husband does safely trust in her and he has no lack of gain.

He has nothing that he will have need of if he has a wife With whom he lives. Look at me at Psalm 128. Psalm 128. Psalm 128 Describes the blessings on a home. It is a song that deals with a home that serves God a song that Governs a home where the people love God in it.

And Psalm 128 verse 3 the first part by wife Shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house. She'll be like a fruitful vine. The fruitful vine not only has beauty. It not only gives shade. But it has all of those things and enhances that in which we live.

The Jewish sages again say happy as he and happy as his lot who has merited a good wife so though he will win the respect of others the scripture says a Virtuous wife is a crown to her husband. Now, we know that's in Proverbs 12, don't we?

Proverbs 12 if you're underlining Proverbs 12 verse 4 a virtuous woman is a crown to her husband. A Man mostly a king if he has a virtuous woman. He has a woman of valor. He has a godly wife. He is a king in Jewish life by the very fact that he has a godly wife.

Eve Eve Was called the mother of all living. We were speaking just briefly about this this morning. Literally the Hebrew it means the mother of life's. At IFES the mother of life's so in English we say the mother of lives are the mother of all living.

She is called that Adam was never called the father of all living. He is simply called the first man. She is called a mother of all living the mother of all lives. And she's looked upon it is natural then because of that Jewish people believe and I think it burns out it is natural that people look to the mother.

It is natural that a mother receives honor. I mean it may be this we can have a whole new how that mother and even in animal life even in the bird life. Even the fowls of the air it is the female. That seems to be honored you watch the oldest name.

It's it's the female and you get almost all of them with just one or two exceptions. It is the female and in human life it is the mother that just naturally is honored by the children. She's not truly honored by people.

She's naturally honored honored by the community. And so therefore God in the law in the Torah in the Word of God. Because that God redresses that and puts it in balance and he says in the Ten Commandments honor thy father.

And thy mother he puts the father first because he knows it is not true in Inclination to honor the mother so he says but the father must be honored also. So naturally you honor your mother. God says you honor your father.

It is not natural to honor a father. It is something you have to work at. You say what honor my father. Well, but you have to look at it. All people have to work at it. They're just something about a mother because what her love her beauty her compassion her tenderness her grace.

You just naturally respond to things like that the dad here he comes he's aggressive. God made him that way he's aggressive he's boisterous. He's ambitious. He's quick tempered at times and all those things, but God made him.

I mean biologically. That's just the way he's made. There's nothing wrong with that. Those things have to be brought into their proper perspective and problems have to be put into order with God. So that God develops him as a beautiful channel whereby God will work with him.

It's not a matter of respect. We respect the father but to honor to honor him one has to understand that and work at it. Jewish law says that the our origin of everything good. Everything good that one finds in the world and especially amongst Jewish people is because of the woman.

I'm going to give you seven women that Jews look at if you ladies want to be a beautiful study. Study these women with the phrase and I'm about to give you there are seven women that are revered in Jewish life.

And each one represents something to them they are sermons within themselves. Eve the mother of all living Sarah whose name was Sarah I at one time Sarah I means what? Contentious. Contentious. I know what you mean thing and we're gonna name mine Sarah.

No God changed her name to Sarah. Sarah. Yeah, Sarah the mother of prophecy the mother of prophecy which translates at Mary. Mary Mary the mother salvation the mother salvation. Deborah the mother heroism.

Eve the mother of all living Sarah the mother of prophecy. Miriam the mother of salvation and Deborah the mother of heroism. Ruth the mother of royalty. Ruth dear Ruth the mother of royalty. Esther Hadassah.

Esther the mother of redemption. Mother redemption. There's a feast in Jewish life that actually commemorates Esther, isn't it? You know that poor poor straight Nordic I Haman the dreaded Haman the Haman Toscan's and Riders and the billion hissing's and all that and those things and so then Esther the mother redemption the seventh one is Hannah.

You say Hannah? Hannah. So we'll call her Hannah and her seven sons. She was called the mother of martyrdom dealing with Hannah and her seven sons the mother of much them Woman then if she is the crown of a man and she becomes in this life and just thinking the highest crown that a man can have a Highest people a girl he could ever receive on this earthly plane is to have a virtuous wife or to have a woman of valor to be his wife.

I've made mention of this the other evening if a man's job. And I'm convinced there's some men don't argue with me about him. You're not gonna change my mind about this. You know, you are welcome to your opinion, but you're not gonna change me on this if a man's job will get into a woman.

She can manage it. Even though it may be difficult for her at times. She can do it. It happens to him every single day in this world but If you take a woman's chores and duties and tasks and you impose those on a man he cannot manage it.

He cannot do it. Oh, he may be one. All he may do this. He may can turn the water on he may give me this. But he will not be able to manage what a woman manages. There will be some exceptions but the general rule is no no.

The tasks of a woman are far more difficult than task of a man and her versatility and her power of endurance Will go beyond a man almost on every occasion that man will be laying in a bed weak and Feeble and that wife will still be running around that house serving me 85 and 9 years of age.

He just have you see it all the time. Here the men come. I'm not being critical, but here they come. Walking the street here she comes. She's 85, he's 85 and here he comes. Time and again you see the women driving them around.

I'm not being critical. Fame drive for it. Her endurance, her versatility, the things that she can do. She can sew, she can cook, she can drive. She can mow, she can paint, she can build, she can cut, she can saw.

She can do all those things a man. He can build, he can fish, he can hunt, he can do it. It is not that he is intelligent. I'm not saying that at all. I am saying that he is incapable of Accomplishing the things she accomplishes that she calls her chores and her tasks as a mother, as a wife, as a woman, in the home.

And around the house and the duties. Turn a man loose in a supermarket and watch him. It's pathetic. I see him all the time running around in that supermarket. I mean, you know, it's like a hippopotamus turning loose in a china closet.

He's gonna demand his dinner. Oh, Katie will say, go ask him to get some tomatoes. He doesn't know, he goes, you know, he'll pop that thing will pop in his hand. You know, somebody told him to scream, what?

And man, he squished that juggler, you know. I mean, every time I check all those vegetables and things out like that, you watch her. She'll beat those things out, boy. Listen, she won't make mistakes.

He'll come home and say, well, I thought that watermelon sounded pretty good to me. She won't bring one home that way. It'll be a good one. She'll never see inside of it. It'll be a good one. He'll bring one home, maybe half red, half green, half anything, cause it sounded good to him, you know.

Ain't nothing to him to say. You know, I'm not being super critical. I just think it's that way. You know, a woman's virtue. I think a woman's virtue lies in her accepting and being contented in her role.

In Jewish thinking that's her virtue. That she accepts her role as the wife and as a mother and she's contented in that role. She does not complain. She just blesses God and thanks God who made her according to his will.

She does not toil. She does not labor for any reward. But she does it in order to fulfill the will of God for her life. She doesn't do it, oh, if the husband commends her, wonderful. If the children thank mom, that's great.

But she does it primarily because God is pleased with her role and she's committed to the role in the will of God. The desire to achieve greatness is One of the most human characteristics. I mean to be great or to be renowned or to have success as we call it and many there are who succeed in obtaining the recognition and Yet there are many who don't.

There are many people who try to achieve it and never achieve it because they don't achieve it. Bitterness sets into their life. Because they think they've been slighted by the world. They've been slighted by the office.

They've been slighted by the boss. They've been slighted somehow and didn't get that which they deserve but few and rare are those Individuals who do not even care for greatness. Few and rare those people who don't care anything about being great.

They don't care anything about being renowned. They don't care anything about having the acclaim and the applause of society. They don't care anything about having the approval of the community. They don't care anything about all of those things.

They are content to live modestly and to live happily in the Lord. They are content to serve the Lord. They labor faithfully and they avoid publicity and they prefer to let other people bask in undeserved glory.

And that's a wife. That is a godly woman. That's a mother. The trait is woman's glory. It is simply this modesty in life. That is a woman's glory in life. Her modesty. Let me explain that it is the dominant virtue in a godly woman's character.

She is the initiator. She is the founder. She is the source of so much in this world. That is good yet She herself stands modestly in the shadow and lets other people bask in honor and glory. She's the mother of all life in her essence and she's the helpmate or the helpmeet in her appearance.

She's the mother of pure faith. In most homes that I'm aware that is the mother develops the faith of the children. It's the mother that brings forth the faith in the home. She's a woman of dedication to good and She is a woman that is at war against iniquity.

Yet she appears to the world as a dedicated wife who lets her husband take all the glory. She lets her husband get all the acclaim and she sits in the background. Serving God contented in a role with the Lord loving her family.

Loving those around her and being that foundation that God has placed in that home. There's so much to know about equal rights. When you go study the rabbis I don't care which one you study except one of the liberal ones today when you go back and study the rabbis of old.

You never find one whoever engaged in the vain Conversation about restoring women's honors or By giving women equal rights. You don't find one rabbi. You don't find one great Jewish writer. You don't find one Jewish sage in all of human history who spent any time in dealing with such vain Conversation.

Why. Because here's what they say. Jewish people who live according to God's law would never be able if they wanted to. To give a woman more rights than she already possesses unto God. No, man can give to a woman more than God has already given her no matter what laws they pass.

No matter what they do if people live according to God's law. Men. Women man woman king and queen each rules a different world. So to speak in the home. The man rules one world and the woman rules another world.

Each has different tasks. Each has a different set of rights if you want to discuss it at that particular point. They are different in a way they hold two stations of equal rank in life. Two stations of equal rank.

King. Queen. When the king is there he makes decisions when the king goes out of the country. It is the Queen who sits on the throne and she makes the decisions. Equal rank. Equal rank. Both trusting both loving both with extreme confidence that one will do the right thing at the other if the other one isn't.

There always the right thing will be done. No fears. No worries. No apprehensions about it. Equal rank. Man conquers and woman gives him strength to do it. Man goes out and gets it and she gives him the strength.

Man is the trunk of the tree. Woman is the hidden well from which the tree draws its sustenance. Man's activities are broad all embracing invisible. You see them all the time. You see me an active a. Woman's activities are more lasting value and her influence is more pleasant and more permanent.

You just don't see them. You just don't see what she does most of the time. Let me give you some rabbinical thoughts on a good wife. Here's what the ancient rabbi said about a wife. Jewish girls are not noisy nor continually running around nor given to light-headed laughter.

That's from to come off in the Jewish writings. That's interesting. I see some greens. Jewish girls are not noisy nor continually running around. I get a bit light-headed laughter. Busyness. A woman does not sit idle.

That's from the Yerushalayim cuz he's about 82. A Barishful woman is charming and a restrained soulless priceless been Sarah. A Restrained soulless priceless a woman who honors her husband appears wise to everyone been Sarah.

Here's one. A noisy and sharp-tongued woman is as frightening as a trumpet of war. True true. Proverbs 19 13. The contentions of a wife are a constant dripping. Now you think was about that weather. Really lay in bed in a motel.

Have you ever laid in your home and hear something? You know, you're laying in you're trying to sleep. I'll send you someone. I wish you'd fix that drip. Okay, you get out and you're going in you take all the grip you got, you know.

You've eaten a good supper and you put it on and you can't even move that thing any further. It was there and that thing still drew drip drip drip. You know, there's a Chinese torture. I talked to a young man who's in the Korean War.

And this young man said that he was when he was captured. They took him out and they stripped him naked. Freezing temperature sub-zero weather put him in a hole in the ground and doused him with water and.

Then they lowered a bucket over his head and had it tied and they had warm water coming through this pipe. And they had it where we just dropped and for 24 hours. He stood in the freezing cold with that water freezing to his body and that water dripped on that bucket over his head.

For 24 hours and I said he just 19 years old. I said how in the name of heaven could you ever have stood such a thing? And he said I thought about one verse of Scripture John 3 16. He said I began to think of the word for and I thought of everything.

I knew about for for everything. He said I just thought about for and he decided the next one God. He said I thought about everything I've ever learned about God and he broke down each word. And that's what he kept doing all that long to keep his sanity.

The Bible says that the contentions of a wife are a constant dripping nag nag nag nag nag. And even listen the same and over and over. Do you really believe that you're going to get your husband to do something by just constantly giving it to him every five minutes.

You know, it doesn't work. So that's why what you go do it yourself. I know. My wife came to me. And she asked me we have some rose bushes out in the back of our home and have some you know. They're about the climbing roses and they just cover the whole back fence right there and I like them.

They're nice take a lot of problems. I don't tend to them well. But one day she says, you know, what we really need to do is we need to put some cedar post out there. You'll be really nice. But several cedar post and set them in and we have the rise and we just let those roses climb them.

You know that I said, well, that'd be great. I'll do that. Well, we quit bad you eat went by we mind so she came to him again. She said, you know. You know, we thought they'll see the post. She said you think we can get that done this weekend.

I said I'll do it Saturday. Saturday's a day. I'm gonna do that. Well Saturday came in Saturday came and went and this went on and on and on and on three years later three years later I'm serious. I walked in my house and there was a little note.

She doesn't quit. Doesn't give it up on it. But there's a note a list of things that I was to do that I said I was gonna do and I haven't done any of Their 89. I'm on there and the first one was put cedar post in.

You know what I did and I saw that note get the thing off there man, I was you know, I was righteously indignant. Come and I was infuriated. We are best. I mean I'm busy. I got time to let the mess of their dumb poles.

And then I'm gone. I mean wait and she asked me to do this. I thought it was just a week or so ago. But it happened to be three years. And so finally I got those poles and you know. But she didn't have to if she'd stayed on my case about it.

I probably would have done it. You know, I just where I am, you know, I just said, you know beat yourself, you know something like that. I just get busy, you know, I go pray and meditate and read scripture and.

Things like that. Constant gripping it accomplishes nothing. It creates contention. It's better if he doesn't do what he ought to do is turn him over to God. Talk to God about him. God get him straight.

God can work on us. God can get down, you know where we can go and and this is just what rabbinical thought is. It just says that a woman, you know, but a contentious woman is like a constant dripping.

It just drips drips drips drips drips. We've got a modesty. Involving it with conduct. We came from modesty into the conduct. You know, it's the better part of wisdom if I'm a Excuse me. If a man will introduce.

There's something I talk about we mentioned this this morning. We're talking in the office. The one things I do when I marry people I don't have to marry very many. But we have such a system lying down for them.

We isolate them those who really want to marry in the Lord. But I take a young lady. And we talk to them about these things about modesty and conduct setting forth these disciplines when you get married.

It's easy to do when you first get married and let's try to pick them up later on. That's been one hour and a half minimum with that young girl. And then I want to meet him with that boy and I spend a minimum of one hour and a half with him.

And then I get both of them together and I spend an hour and a half minimum. You listen that's about two hours with both of them. Then I'll get her and her parents and I want to talk to them about an hour and a half.

And then I want him and his parents and I talked to him about an hour and a half and then we get all of them. Together before that wedding and we spend about two hours. Telling those parents what they can and cannot do and when they can and when they can.

And then I give them six hours of tapes. To listen on family living and then I give him a tape on what is a wife. And after all of that if they'll come back and answer some questions for me and discuss some things with me.

Then we'll go and set a date for marriage. We've never had one divorce in 30 years in the ministry. We've had some problems, but we've never had one get a divorce. Why. Because I thought no simply because when they have a problem they knew where to go.

They went to the book and resolve their difficulties or they'd call me and say what about this or they'd call someone or they'd go To their pastor, but they had set up a discipline in their life. Early so that when the crisis came, you know why Job was successful with God.

Job didn't do anything different when his problems come that he had done all of his life. He just kept serving God every day honoring God every day. Praying every day walking with God every day and he had all sorts of crisis things that you and I will never have in our lives.

But anything different so if you and I can learn if we will do the things God wants us to do every day. When the problems come we'll just keep that on moving. We'll just keep right on moving and we will resolve those difficulties and it comes down.

To putting these things into our home. One of the things that Jewish law requires of a man is he cannot permit. I'll give you a few of these. He cannot permit his home to seed with noise. You go into a Jewish home.

You don't find a bunch of noise. You don't find things falling down stairs. You don't find states come sailing out hitting the door. You don't find surfboards laying up against the wall. Now I'm not saying their homes in better yet.

I'm just saying you just don't find it. He cannot allow his home to see the noise screaming loud laughter or bitter cries of anger. It violates Jewish law now I'm not saying there aren't those who don't know but if they do they violate law and they did not tell you why they do.

Because he bounce on them, you know, he doesn't he just bounce on them. Cuz see it's hard to vote him out. So you vote your pastor out. I know how they do it. Well, I can't make it off another one. Well, it's kind of hard to vote that do that.

I know you know, well another one pleasure seekers can never be welcome in his home. Though he be a man of means he must avoid conspicuous consumption or ostentation. There are homes that I've been in Multimillionaires.

One man has a hundred million another has 300 million. I've been in their homes. You've been amazed. Oh, I know there are differences. There are all those exceptions, but what would you know? I have 300 million dollars.

Why I take you a week to go through my house. Five three hundred million can build me one than you and I build one from here Sherman something like that, you know. Now you wouldn't would you you'd give it to the Lord's work would build a new church building and we dedicate all the church.

You know, they'd call it the Freeman building and all of those things. Yeah, don't you mean it? Here's one his table will not be richly laden at ordinary meals. Eat modestly. The members of his household will not over eat.

Jewish families usually are required to leave something not a child child cake, but the adults will usually leave something on their plate. There's a matter of discipline as a matter of discipline. You don't consume it all and suck it all up.