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The Aaronic Blessing, also known as the Priestly Blessing, is commonly known among Christians, and it’s said after the service in Christian churches of many denominations and Jewish synagogues. Aside from being a nice thing to say before congregants exit the sanctuary, why is it said, and where does it come from?
This blessing was God’s idea as He instructed Moses to tell Aaron and his sons to bless the people of Israel using these words. In the book of Numbers, where this blessing is found, the Israelites are experiencing their newfound freedom from their Egyptian captors. In the Sinai wilderness, God’s giving them instructions for their new desert lifestyle as free people. God also provides directives for the priesthood, including a specific command to bless the people using what is commonly referred to as the Aaronic blessing.
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them:
The Lord bless you, and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine on you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance on you,
And give you peace.’
So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them.”
Num. 6:22-27
One exciting thing you’ll notice as you learn about the blessings is that there’s a progression in the bible of who was allowed to give a blessing. At first, only God had the authority to bless, and he then extended it to some of the patriarchs and then to priests. Some incidences of Aaron blessing the people in God’s name are found in Leviticus and Deuteronomy (Lev. 9:22 and Deut. 10:8 and 21:5).
In an archeological site on the old road from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, what are possibly the oldest surviving Hebrew texts were found in 1979. In ancient Paleo-Hebrew, the Aaronic Blessing was written on two scrolls made of silver found in an ancient burial site. Aptly named “The Silver Scrolls,” they were dated back to the First Temple period and were possibly used as an amulet to ward off evil. If true, this would be another of many unfortunate examples of pagan customs infiltrating God’s people even back then. But what a fantastic find!
The Aaronic Blessing today
Today, God’s people are blessed using this same blessing in synagogues worldwide. In Judaism, it used to be that only priests would give this blessing, but it’s now extended to rabbis and worship leaders.
In a synagogue, when the congregants are blessed, the one performing the blessing raises his hands as Aaron did, as recorded in the Bible (Lev. 9:22). This practice has been nicknamed “the raising of the hands.” He also extends his prayer shawl or tallit over his head and his hands as he recites the blessing to indicate reverence and to obey the biblical command to have fringes or tzitzit on the corners of one’s clothing. Some hold their hands in the shape of a shin (ש), the Hebrew letter at the beginning of the word Shaddai, a name for God. The blessing is most commonly recited in Hebrew, but other languages are used depending on the audience.
On the evening of the Sabbath, Friday evening, this blessing is often said over the children of the house by many Jews and some Christians. It’s accompanied by requests for God to make them like Ephraim and Manasseh (boys) or Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Leah (girls). Whether in English or Hebrew, the one blessing usually puts their hands on or above the one(s) being blessed and then says the blessing.
For Christians?
As grafted-in Gentiles, we can take part in the promises extended to Israel and gain nourishment from the same roots from which they thrive – God Himself! When we accepted Jesus as our savior, we officially joined the Kingdom of God, which started with the nation of Israel in the Old Testament.
Under the New Covenant, where God’s Word has been written on our hearts through the Holy Spirit as believers in Jesus, we entered the priesthood ourselves. Revelation 1:5-6 says that Jesus’s blood made us priests to God! We can bless God’s people in His name, and He does indeed bless through it due to the power in His name.
This phrase is an idiom (a saying) meaning “He looks at you with peace and blessing.”
And give you peace.
(V’yasaym l’kha shalom. – וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֺם)
Beyond just peace, shalom’s meaning also includes wholeness and completeness. And who of us doesn’t want God’s perfect peace?
In your family
If this article has moved you to use the Aaronic Blessing to bless your children, please don’t let the learning process or the newness of doing so prevent you! I encourage you to continue this blessing once you start, as it may be awkward at first but will become among your family’s most treasured moments, as it has become in mine.
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One of the seven God-ordained Feasts in Leviticus 23, Shavuot, is also called the Feast of Weeks. It’s a harvest festival, specifically the wheat harvest, a type of Biblical Thanksgiving. It celebrates God’s provision for our physical and spiritual needs. Jews mainly observe Shavuot, but Pentecost, Shavuot’s English name derived from the Greek, is celebrated in the Catholic and some Protestant churches today.
The most apparent reason for celebrating Shavuot is that God commanded it. However, we can’t keep it exactly as it was commanded since there’s no Temple. It’s one of seven Feasts God told the Israelites to keep in Leviticus and one of the three in Deuteronomy (Deut. 16:16). It was to be observed 50 days (seven Sabbaths and one day) after the Day of First Fruits during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete sabbaths. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the LORD” Lev. 23:15-16 (NASB)
When the Egyptians enslaved the Hebrew people, God brought ten plagues upon their captors. The last of these was the plague of the firstborn, in which the firstborn in each household died, except that of the Israelites. Out of obedience to God’s instructions, they painted the blood of a lamb on their doorposts and were then passed over by the final plague. The death of the firstborn finally caused the Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. After they left Egypt, they crossed the Red Sea and headed out into the desert.
It was 50 days after the Passover in Egypt when the Hebrew people were camped at the foot of Mount Sinai, that God gave the Hebrew people the gift of the Torah. Having been freed from slavery, they were free to serve God, and He chose this time to finalize His covenant with them by giving them His Law.
Likewise, 50 days after Passover, Shavuot is to be celebrated. The Day of First Fruits, or Yom HaBikkurim, during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, is when the counting of the omer began. On this day, the priest would wave a sheaf of green barley, an omer, to start the count. A male lamb would also be sacrificed, and God’s people would count up to Shavuot. Today, some Believers celebrate not only the First Fruits but the next 49 days also as days of spiritual introspection. Since these days lead up to the day God’s Law (the Torah) was given on Shavuot, these days are preparation to receive the word of God.
“But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” Jere. 31:33 (NASB)
Jeremiah prophesied that God would make a new covenant with His people, in which the Law would be on their hearts.
Jesus also prophesied the gift of the Holy Spirit in Acts 1.
“Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Acts 1:4-5 (NASB)
In the New Testament, the apostles of the early church observe Shavuot, which is then called Pentecost, which is derived from the Greek word meaning “fiftieth.” While gathered for Shavuot, in celebration of God giving His law to them, God chose this time to give the gift of His Spirit to His people.
“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance” Acts 2:1-4(NASB)
None of this is a coincidence. The apostles knew what and why they were celebrating on Shavuot, and the timing of God giving His Spirit wasn’t lost on them. Having been newly freed from the slavery of their sin, it had come time for God to finalize the New Covenant with His people. Jesus had been crucified 50 days before to atone for our sins, ushering in a way for sinful, imperfect people to commune with a Holy God. God then solidified this New Covenant by giving us His Spirit and writing His Word on our hearts, just as He promised 1,200 years prior!
So, while Jews have gathered for Shavuot from the time of Moses to the early church in Acts and still celebrate it even today, it has meaning for Gentile Believers also. As the grafted-in or adopted people of God, the promise of the New Covenant is for us and the people of Israel. When we recognize Jesus as Messiah, we enter a Covenant with God and have not only His Torah but also His Law written on our hearts through His gift of the Holy Spirit.
Sounds like a reason to celebrate, right!?
If you’d like to explore Shavuot and Pentecost more deeply, I recommend Christ in the Feast of Pentecost by the Senior Researcher and Executive Director of Jews for Jesus. It’s a quick read but very informative.
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Sometime between Passover and Shavuot, many people “count the omer.” While that may sound complicated, it merely means counting each of the 50 days until Shavuot.
But why count? Can’t we just look at our calendars to see when Shavuot is? What should we be doing while we’re counting the days? Most importantly, what’s the significance of this command? Exactly what is God teaching us through the process of counting? To answer these questions, let’s first look at the omer count and where it came from.
What’s an Omer?
Literally speaking, an omer is a sheaf or bundle of grain. In this case, the grains referred to are barley and wheat. It’s also a unit of measure: 1/10 of an ephah equals about 2-1/2 quarts. In Exodus, an omer is the amount of manna God provided each Israelite each day in the desert.
The Command
In Leviticus 23, God lays out the way of life He desires for His newly freed people. After He covers the instructions for the Tabernacle and the priests, God tells the people what to celebrate, when, and how.
He gives instructions on observing the Sabbath and the seven Feasts—Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Shavuot, Yom Teruah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot. We find the command to count between the instructions for First Fruits and Shavuot.
You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the LORD.
Lev. 23:16
The command to count the omer follows the command for the Festival of First Fruits. After Passover and during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the countdown to Shavuot begins on the day of First Fruits. It may seem random that God would connect these Feasts, but it’s not because they’re directly connected. Here’s a small summary of these spring Festivals in the order they occur on the calendar and are listed in Leviticus 23.
Passover
In the celebrationof Passover, the Hebrew people were to remember God rescuing them from their captivity in Egypt, as well as the provision of the Passover lamb whose blood covered them, protecting them from the plague of the firstborn brought upon Egypt.
At Passover, celebrated on the 14th day of the month of Nissan, we remember what God has done for us, both in supernaturally rescuing the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt and from our sin through Jesus. The blood of the Passover lamb caused God to overlook those covered by it in the plague of the firstborn. In somewhat the same way, the blood of Jesus, our Passover lamb, covers our sin and allows our unholy selves to have access to God.
Not literally a “feast,” this is a time of living without the leaven (yeast) that we normally do—both in our homes and our diets. God told His people to go without leaven for seven days, starting the day just after Passover.
Leaven is often used to symbolize sin in the Bible, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread effectively portrays sin in our lives. It’s not only everywhere in our diets and homes; it’s difficult to get completely cleaned out and uncomfortable to live without, just like sin. There are little “crumbs” of sin all over our lives—some we don’t want to get rid of for various reasons, and some we aren’t even aware of!
But this points us right to Jesus! He covers the sins we can’t and gives grace for even the whole “loaves” of sin we must throw in the trash. We have him to thank for allowing us to sleep at night even though there are sins we may not even be aware of in our lives.
To summarize the command for First Fruits, God tells the Hebrew people not to eat any new barley that ripens first until they have given their offering. They’re to take a sheaf (omer) of it to the priest at the Tabernacle, along with a defect-free male lamb and wine as offerings. Having no Tabernacle or Temple today, we cannot obey this command.
However, it’s traditionally thought that the day of First Fruits is the day that Jesus rose from the dead, and that’s really something to celebrate! It’s also a day on which we can remember the First Fruits offering and focus on always giving our first and best to God.
God told the Hebrew people to bring bread baked with the flour of the wheat harvest, including twice as much as the First Fruits offering, two omers. If First Fruits is to bring the very first part of the harvest as an offering out of faith that more will be provided, Shavuot is to bring another offering, this time out of the abundance of the later harvest, 50 days later.
For thousands of years, God’s people have celebrated Shavuot, when God gave His Law to the Hebrew people on Mt. Sinai. As newly freed people, they were privileged to be given a way of life that pleased their God and set them apart from the surrounding people as His chosen. In Acts, Shavuot was what the apostles were celebrating when the Holy Spirit was given to them.
During Shavuot, we remember God’s provision, not looking forward to it in faith as we did on First Fruits, but showing our gratefulness for what’s been given.
The Connection
The Spring Feast Days tell the story of our redemption. Passover reminds us of the Lamb’s blood that covers and saves us. Unleavened Bread symbolizes why we need our Savior, and First Fruits is when we look forward to God’s provision! Shavuot then celebrates God providing His rescued people with the way to live through His Laws on our hearts and through His Spirit.
Since counting the omer is from First Fruits to Shavuot, it’s helpful to see the connection between them. At First Fruits, we look forward in faith, and at Shavuot, we celebrate God’s faithfulness and provision.
During the 50-day counting period, we focus on maturing in righteousness—not to obtain salvation but to live as people belonging to people and worthy of being indwelt by His Spirit. It should be a time of cleansing our hearts to prepare them for the Holy Spirit to live in us and guide us as people of God.
The number 50 in the Bible represents liberation. Each 50th year was to be the year of Jubilee, where slaves were set free, and the land was returned to its original owner. The word “Pentecost” means 50 and is the name of the Christian holiday celebrating God’s giving of the Holy Spirit.
A Time for Growth
If we focus on the Holy Days, the Hebrew people went from being slaves to Mount Sinai, where God made His covenant with them. In the same way, Jesus was crucified during Passover, raised on First Fruits, and then 50 days passed until the Holy Spirit was given to the apostles. On that Shavuot, a New Covenant was made, as God has now written His Laws on the hearts of His people.
Our Spiritual growth is the same. In the “Passover” season of our lives, we accept Jesus as our Passover Lamb. The Unleavened Bread portion of our faith is where we genuinely repent and continually try to align our lives with God’s desires. Out of our growing faith, we then celebrate that Jesus has risen and his victory over death. As our faith matures, we Christians move toward a place where the Holy Spirit can live inside us, enabling us to follow His Laws and do His work on Earth.
At the beginning of the Counting of the Omer, we’ve just experienced the celebration of Passover. We remembered what God did for the Hebrew people and us. We also observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread, where we took inventory of our lives, repented, and worked diligently to ensure there wasn’t a mess of sin left that God wouldn’t want there.
Then we arrive at the Feast of First Fruits, where we remember that we give God the best of what we have out of faith. We step forward by putting our faith in God to provide for us in the future. On Shavuot, He will provide His Law and write it on our hearts through His Spirit.
Ready for the Spirit
During the time between First Fruits and Shavuot, we grow in our faith so that we’re ready to have God’s Spirit inhabit us. As Christians, His Spirit already lives in our hearts, so this time of counting allows us to refocus on our faith and ensure that we’re growing in maturity as we should throughout our walk. Starting at Passover, we focus on moving from slaves to free people dedicated to God and in His service.
The Counting of the Omer reminds us daily that God not only deserves our best and is worthy of our faith in Him but that He provides for us at the count’s completion and always! While we count, we examine our hearts and our faith to see if they’re worthy of the Holy Spirit we’ve been given. Spoiler alert: They’re not. But as Jesus covers the sin remaining in our hearts, we do our best to make sure there’s less and less as we grow and continually align our hearts to what God wants in our lives.
Since God has a purpose for all He does, when He told the Hebrew people to simply count, He knew they needed to do that for some reason. It’s the same thing with us. Counting focuses us on the symbolism and lessons of the surrounding Feast Days. It reminds us that God is faithful. He’s provided all we need in the past and will in the future. Counting the Omer is a time of strengthening our faith.
What to Do During the Count
However, humans are doers, so being given an activity like counting over 50 days seems ambiguous. I know that it’s a time to examine my faith and growth in righteousness, but I can’t help but wonder what we DO during this time. In Orthodox Judaism, a blessing is said each evening of the count, as well as the number of the day and the week. Some also focus on different attributes of God throughout the count.
Here are a few things that will get your heart and mind in the right place for this time of counting and prepare you for the celebration of Shavuot.
Count, Of Course!
One way to take this command literally is to cross off each day on a calendar or omer counter made just for this purpose. I’ve used this one from torahcalendar.com, but there are many available! Here are some, and there’s even a LEGO Omer Counter that they’ll love!
2. Communicate with God
Wait. That doesn’t sound out of the ordinary at all! It shouldn’t be, but you and I both know that most of us allow things to creep into our daily schedules that threaten our time with God, which should be a priority. Prayer and studying God’s Word often go by the wayside when other things are put first.
During this time of counting, make it a high priority to be in constant conversation with God. Be humble and honest so you can hear what He says – even those things you’d rather not! During times of self-examination, I find it helpful to pray the following verse.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.
Psalm 139:23-24
Share the Count
During the Counting of the Omer, the Jewish people say a blessing each evening of the count, along with stating the day and week number. This blessing clarifies that each day has been counted and that God is getting the glory.
However you observe the omer count, don’t keep it to yourself! Include your family and your children and encourage them to grow in their faith during this time. And, as with everything you do, make sure God gets all the glory!
Part of the reason for the count is to look forward to the giving of God’s Law on Sinai and the Holy Spirit to the apostles. This makes preparing for Shavuot a very appropriate activity during the count. Make a plan of how you and your family will celebrate Shavuot and what supplies you’ll need. Read the stories of the giving of the Law and the Holy Spirit in Exodus 19 and Acts 1, respectively.
Thank God for His perfect Laws and for the Spirit that allows those Laws to be written on our hearts. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you specifically which of His Laws you need to work on. Soften your heart so you can hear His answer.
The Counting of the Omer is an important time for Believers to grow in their faith and cleanse themselves spiritually. It’s a time for us to respond to the faithfulness and provision God has lavished upon all of us.
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As Gentile believers in Jesus as the Messiah (a.k.a. Christians), Paul says in Romans 11 that we’re “wild olive” branches and that we’re “grafted in” to the “olive tree” to become partakers in the original tree – God’s promises to His people. Paul’s analogy is descriptive, showing how Gentile believers have a part in the Kingdom of God.
And I like being called a wild olive branch, don’t you? It sounds like we’re untainted in our wildness yet dignified in that we’re part of something rich and established. While this may be part of what Paul meant, there’s a lot more in this analogy for us as Christians.
Before the Wild Branch
To get some background, look at what’s going on at the beginning of Romans chapter 11. Paul is in the middle of telling his Jewish audience that they missed the messiah. By rejecting Jesus, they missed the message of grace they were offered and were still focusing on being saved by their works while waiting for the messiah. Verses 11-16 describe how the Gentiles have a chance at the Messiah because Jesus’s own people rejected him. Paul still wanted the Jewish people to see their need for Jesus (and some of them did!), but he describes their rejection as the “reconciliation of the world” (Rom. 11:15).
How blessed we are, Brothers and Sisters? It is so sad that God’s people, the Jews, shunned the messiah they had prayed for over so many years, but God brings a blessing in even something as heartbreaking as this. And it’s for us! Because of this, we have access to Israel’s Messiah, now the Savior to the entire world!
I love gardening more than most, but I haven’t attempted grafting. It isn’t easy. It’s an expert-level sort of thing. A tree farmer must do a graft correctly and carefully and take great care of the scion – the area where the two trees are attached. Even after a LOT of work and attention to detail, the graft may not take! Even when it does take, the new offshoot may not be productive. A well-grafted branch not only grows but also produces well.
Grafting only works when the new branch is of the same family as the original tree. For example, you can’t graft a cherry branch onto an orange tree. A successful graft requires a sort of “communication” between the old and new trees, which can only occur between trees of the same type.
A Farmer’s reasons for grafting may vary, but the overall goal is to get the best of both varieties. Combining the trees into one shouldn’t obscure the character of one and highlight the other but reserve the essence of both. Generally, one of the two trees has quality rootstock, and the other produces desirable fruit. Grafting gives the gardener the best of both worlds – a tree with solid roots and good fruit. The nature of each tree is reserved while allowing the best qualities of both to shine through.
Two Types of Olive Trees
In the Middle East at the time of Paul and today, two main olive tree types are commonly grafted – the wild and the cultivated varieties. The cultivated trees grow olives used for food and to produce olive oil. Wild olive fruit isn’t as flavorful and is not usually eaten. Grafting won’t make a wild branch produce olives of cultivated quality or change the solid root structure of the original tree. It would, however, allow the wild branch to benefit from the established roots and healthy base of the cultivated tree and help it to produce healthy fruit of its unique variety.
Understanding Paul’s Symbolism
To clarify Paul’s analogy, Gentiles that recognize Jesus as the messiah and thus their need for him are the wild olive branches. The cultivated olive tree and its roots represent the promises of God given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Old Testament. He is saying that, although God made these promises to the Jewish people, we have a part in them, as Gentiles, due to our belief that Jesus is who he says he is. Our faith strengthens us and allows us to be “sons of Abraham” (Gal. 3:7).
So, now that we’re grafted in, what are we? While the grafting process entitles us to be heirs to God’s promises to the Jews, it does not make us into Jews. After the graft, we maintain our original character – Jews stay Jews, and Gentiles stay Gentiles. The change is that we’re then one in our Messiah, Jesus.
The Branches Broken Off
When grafting, cutting some branches off the original tree is usually necessary to allow space or a better nutrient load for the new branch. Paul says in his grafting analogy that Jesus came to save his people, the Jewish people, but most of them rejected him as the messiah. He says that these branches were “not spared” and that they were “hardened.” Sadly, the Jewish people who did not recognize Jesus as their messiah were broken from the tree of God’s promises.
But Paul doesn’t stop there. He states that God will never abandon His people Israel. Also found in 1 Samuel 12:22 and other places, God is clear about His undying love for the Jewish people. Paul continues, saying that God will readily re-graft them when they turn from unbelief.
He also says that it was the disobedience of the Jews in rejection of Jesus that made a place for Gentile believers in the Kingdom of God. Because they fell away and were broken from the tree, we can now be grafted into that tree where we wouldn’t otherwise have had a part. This redemption is just part of God’s character. He makes a perfect plan, and people mess it up, then he brings blessing out of the terrible situation that is beyond what we could have imagined. It’s part of who He is!
What should our lives look like today as successfully grafted wild olive branches? How do we reflect our roots while maintaining our Gentile character? Paul answers this as well.
Stay humble. Paul first warns us of arrogance. Because branches were broken off, allowing us to be grafted in does not give us the right to think of ourselves as superior to the Jewish people. In verse 18, he said that we should remember that it is the root that supports us and not the Gentiles that support the root. As branches that benefit from the root, Christians should stand firmly against anti-Semitism and work diligently to bridge the deep chasm between Christians and Jews that has been built throughout history.
Pray for the Jewish people. Praying for their salvation should be our prayer for the Jewish people today. If seeing them turn to Christ and be re-grafted in is a desire of God’s heart, it should also be ours!
Learn more about the tree. Being grafted in brings the opportunity for salvation to us as Gentiles. Some Christians say that the Old Testament is no longer relevant to our faith, but this couldn’t be further from the truth! Genesis 12:1-3 contains God’s promise to Abraham to give him land and numerous descendants and to bless all the people of the earth through him. But the whole bible contains our story as God’s people, from Genesis to Revelation. God’s character is revealed throughout His word, and we should make it our life’s work to get to know Him and the promises (both fulfilled and yet to be) upon which our faith is built.
Have a faith worthy of jealousy. Not in a middle school mean girl way, but one where our faith is so pure and solid that outsiders, including Jews, want what we have. Paul suggests that this jealousy was one of the reasons salvation was extended to the Gentiles. Is your faith capable of making someone jealous for it? Do outsiders see your relationship with the God of the Bible and hope in our Savior and want that in their own lives?
Produce good fruit. Like a grafted branch, we are to be productive offshoots. In John 15:8, Jesus says, “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” We glorify God by bearing good fruit, including the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22-23.
The analogy of being grafted in as wild olive branches demonstrates how we, as Gentiles, have access to God’s promises to the Hebrew people. Without this grafting and some branches being broken from the original tree, we wouldn’t have a part in these promises and wouldn’t have our Messiah, Jesus. As successfully grafted and productive branches, we should produce fruit that glorifies God and humbly honor our roots and the spiritual nutrition they provide.
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There stands in the Old City of Jerusalem a 2,000-year-old wall of limestone. Its beautifully chiseled ancient stones are of historical interest but have fueled much religious and political tension throughout its existence. But why this wall? Why is it worth all the strife and spilled blood surrounding it? Why do millions of people come from all over the world to visit this 187-foot section of wall – sometimes over 1 million people in just one month?
Mount Moriah
To fully understand the significance of The Wall, we must have at least a basic understanding of Mount Moriah. Now called the Temple Mount, and a seemingly small area comparatively, many significant acts of faith took place in this very spot. On Mount Moriah, Abraham took Isaac to sacrifice him out of obedience to God. Abraham named this area “the LORD will provide” after God provided a ram to be offered in Isaac’s place.
1 Chronicles 21:18-30 and 2 Chronicles 3:1 describe Mount Moriah as the place God appeared to David and answered his prayer to end the plague on his people. It’s also the site of the threshing floor that David purchased for the Temple to be built. Ornan (or Araunah, depending on your translation), the floor’s previous owner, offered to give it to him, but David said he wouldn’t offer to God that which cost him nothing and paid for it anyway. Doesn’t that show us what’s going on in David’s heart? Service to God isn’t really sacrificing if it costs us nothing!
Solomon then built the Temple on Mount Moriah, which was later rebuilt after the first Temple was destroyed. Many places in the Bible (Daniel, Ezekiel, and Revelation, among others) indicate that there will be a holy temple in the future. Scripture suggests that Mount Moriah will again be where God inhabits His Temple.
Solomon’s Temple
Built almost 3,000 years ago on Mount Moriah, in the 10th century BCE, the Temple for God was among the grandest of structures in history. Read about it in 1 Kings 6-8. It was indeed a work of art! During his reign, building the Temple was on David’s heart but was later constructed by his son, Solomon. This Temple wasn’t just a beautiful church building. Called the house of God in the Bible, it contained the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies and was where sacrifices were carried out according to the Laws of God. The design came from God and was given to David (1 Ch. 28:19), who then passed it on to his son when the time came for it to be built.
In 1 Kings 8 and 2 Chronicles 5, it’s recorded that the presence of God showed up in the form of a cloud during the dedication of the Temple. When the priests exited the Holy of Holies, the innermost part of the Temple, after placing the Ark of the Covenant there, the glory of God filled the Temple in the form of a cloud. The Bible says that cloud permeated the building, so the priests couldn’t even stand to minister! Clearly, God thought highly of the Temple King Solomon had built for Him!
The Second Temple
In about 587 BCE, the city of Jerusalem was occupied and taken over by the Babylonians. King Nebuchadnezzar II had not only Solomon’s Temple destroyed but all of Jerusalem burned.
After the fall of the Babylonian Empire in 516 BCE, Cyrus the Great allowed the Jewish people to rebuild the Temple. It was reconstructed in the same place as the first. In 19 BCE, Herod built a semi-rectangular retaining wall around the Temple area, and the Temple was completed during the reign of his grandson, King Agrippa II, as recorded by historian Josephus Flavius. The Western wall of this rectangular retaining wall is what’s currently known as The Western Wall.
The Temple today
The story behind the celebration of Hanukkah covers the period when the Seleucid Empire controlled Jerusalem. Antiochus IV followed in his father’s footsteps in trying to Hellenize the Jews. The Temple was desecrated with the pagan practices of the Greeks, which eventually led to the Maccabean Revolt and their miraculous victory.
Roman rule over Jerusalem in 70 CE brought the most recent destruction to The Temple. This time, it wasn’t rebuilt (at least not yet!). Both the Romans and the Christians under Constantine forbade the Jews from entering Jerusalem for centuries, except just one day annually, the 9th of the month of Av, when they were allowed to visit to mourn the Temple.
In the 7th century, the Muslim conquest of Jerusalem led to them building a shrine on the Temple site, the Dome of the Rock, in 691 CE. Even after the Nation of Israel regained control over Jerusalem in 1967, the Temple Mount remained under Jordanian rule. It’s still this way today, and though Jews may visit, they may not pray there. The closest place to the Temple they’re permitted to pray is the Western Wall, which is why the Kotel, or “wall” in Hebrew, is considered the holiest site in Judaism.
Should the Western Wall be a sacred site for Christians? The short answer is yes! Though we are not Jewish, our belief in Jesus as the Messiah has allowed our Gentile selves to be grafted in, allowing us to become God’s people. God’s promises to the Israelites in the Old Testament also apply to us.
The Temple is not only part of the history of our faith as Christians and our spiritual heritage as people of the Kingdom of God; it’s also the place our God physically inhabited here on earth to be with His people, pre-Jesus. It’s easy to forget that our God is real, supernatural, and awesome! Don’t miss the significance of the history of this Temple. Your God thought the place was important enough to live there. Your God lived there. For real. Let that sink in.
Jesus at The Temple
Another reason for Christians to honor the Temple is that it was a place of worship for our Savior, Jesus. The Bible records many situations where we find Jesus in different life stages at the Temple in Jerusalem.
As an infant
Jesus’s first visit to The Temple was when he was just 40 days old. Mary and Joseph brought him there to fulfill the command in the Torah to do so (Luke 2:22-38). He also went there at least as often as once yearly as he grew up (Luke 2:41).
As a young man
At 12, Jesus went to Jerusalem with his parents to celebrate Passover. Then, he was accidentally left behind and was found asking brilliant questions of the rabbis there (Luke 2:41-51).
As a man
The most well-known story from Jesus at the Temple was when he overturned the sellers’ tables (Mark 11:15-18), but that wasn’t the only time he went to the Temple. During one period in his adult life, he taught there daily (Luke 21:37-38).
As believers in the truth of scripture, the God of the Bible, and Jesus as Lord, it can be seen that the Western Wall and the Temple it represents are of great importance. The fact that Jesus fulfills the need for a sacrifice for our sin, causing us not to need a temple for sin sacrifices, doesn’t diminish the significance of The Temple and its Western Wall. While not all of us can visit it in person, Christians can honor this site and thus our God from afar by learning more about its history and effect on the world both politically and prophetically. If you can, a visit to the Western Wall (as well as other significant sites in The Holy Land) will grow and concrete your faith and understanding of the land of the Bible.
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So, you’ve decided to incorporate the celebration of Passover into your Christian home. Now what? Where to begin? What to buy? Whom to ask? What to say? What to eat? I know only a couple of Christians that were raised with Passover as a family tradition. What a great blessing! Unfortunately, the rest of us must figure it out on our own. But recent years have produced a large number of resources for Christians interested in Passover. This is a great time to introduce Passover as a tradition in your family and to get started passing it on to future generations. Here’s a simplified, step-by-step guide to help you hold your own Christian Passover Seder. As you continue to learn and grow in this practice, you can involve more of the elements and customs as you see fit for your family.
Let God know your intentions. Ask Him to help you find the resources you need to observe Passover with your family. You’ll be surprised at His response!
Read the story of the Passover
Make sure you know what you’re celebrating and why. Even if you know the story, go over it again. Obviously, it’s no substitute for the bible but here’s a quick summary. Don’t miss the supernatural awesomeness of God displayed in this story! The point of all this was to show God’s power and proclaim His name throughout the earth (Exodus 9:16). Make sure that gets done through your Passover celebration. Make sure God gets all the glory.
Bone – 1 for each Seder plate (usually a roasted lamb shank bone but we use a drumstick)
Horseradish – about 1 tablespoon per participant
Wine and/or juice – enough for each participant to have 4 glasses/cups
Glasses and/or cups – 1 for each participant
Full meal to eat (other than the Seder elements, usually pork-free and yeast-free)
Set up
Decide who will lead the Seder. Traditionally, it’s the man of the house, but it doesn’t have to be. This person will be praying, pouring wine, etc., so he or she may have to brush up on how to do a Seder ahead of time. Here’s a great video for that.
Fill hand washing bowl with water and have towel accessible.
Put Matzah on a plate so that everyone at the table has access to it.
Wrap 3 pieces of matzah in the cloth and set it at the leader’s place.
Make saltwater in either individual or shared bowls and place on the table.
Prepare Seder plate(s). Place bone, parsley or celery, charoset, and horseradish on the plate.
Place glasses/cups on the table.
Place wine/juice on the table to have it more easily accessible.
Pour the first glass of wine. Open with a prayer, thanking God for freeing us from slavery, both through the Exodus from Egypt and from sin through our Messiah, Jesus. Optional: say the HaGafen blessing together.
Pass the washing bowl around, and each participant should wash and dry their hands. This signifies that we must approach God with a clean and pure heart.
Dip the parsley in salt water. Tell participants that this reminds us of our tears in slavery. Eat it after the leader has praised God for the vegetables. The HaAdamah can be said at this time.
The leader removes the middle piece of matzah from the 3 pieces of matzah that have been set aside. It should be broken in 2, and the larger piece wrapped in the cloth. In some homes, it is hidden somewhere in the house for the children to find later. This reminds us that Jesus was broken, wrapped, and buried.
Everyone then lifts a piece of matzah. The blessing over the bread, the HaMotzi, can be said at this time. The leader then explains that the bread is like the bread that the Israelites had upon leaving Egypt. The absence of yeast represents the absence of sin in our lives due to the redemption of that sin through Jesus. Set the matzah down.
Pour another glass of wine. At this point, the youngest child in the house who is able to read should read The Four Questions.
On other nights, we don’t dip our food. Why do we dip our food twice tonight?
On other nights, we eat regular bread. Why do we eat only matzah tonight?
On other nights, we eat other vegetables. Why do we eat parsley tonight?
On other nights, we sit in chairs. Why do we recline tonight?
The leader then responds that tonight is different because tonight, we remember that God rescued us from slavery and the slavery of our sin. We dip our food to remind us of the tears shed in our slavery, and we dip again to remember that we are free. Eating matzah reminds us of the Hebrew people hurriedly leaving Egypt and the sinlessness of Jesus. Horseradish reminds us of the bitterness of slavery – both in Egypt and in our sin. We recline as if we’re royalty because we are free people.
The leader tells the Passover story. During the part recalling the plagues, the participants dip their finger in the wine and drop a drop of wine onto a piece of matzah as each plague is recalled (blood, frogs, lice, flies, livestock, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and the death of the firstborn). The leader should emphasize the actual Passover part of the story (lamb’s blood on the doorpost saving God’s people) and that Jesus’s blood allowed our exodus from the slavery of our sin.
Each person should hold up a piece of matzah. The leader should again say that we eat matzah because the Israelites left with no time for their bread to rise. The matzah is also like Jesus, who wasn’t “leavened” with sin so that he could be a sacrifice for ours.
The leader should raise the horseradish and tell everyone that this reminds us of the bitterness of slavery. The leader then puts the horseradish down. The leader should then explain that the charoset reminds us of the mortar used by the Israelite slaves to build brick buildings for the Egyptians.
Everyone lifts the second cup of wine. The leader praises God for saving us and for the fruit of the vine. Then everyone should drink and eat the matzah.
The leader should praise God for the reminder of the bitter herbs. Then all participants should put horseradish on their matzah and eat.
The leader thanks God for the food and for this time to remember the Passover and Jesus, our Passover lamb. The meal is now served.
After the meal is the 3rd cup of wine. You’ll recognize this part from the Last Supper recorded in the Gospels. If the middle matzah was hidden, now is the time to find it. The leader breaks the once-hidden broken matzah into pieces and gives each believer at the table a piece. Another glass of wine is poured, and everyone should hold the matzah and wine. The leader should summarize the Last Supper and then quote 1 Cor. 11:24 and Mark 14:22, where Jesus said, “This is my body which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” Then, everyone should eat their piece of matzah and hold their cup of wine up. The leader should then quote 1 Cor. 11:25 and Mark 14:24, where Jesus said, “This is the cup of the new covenant in my blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” Then all believers should drink the 3rd cup.
This is usually the time for a song of praise. Some say a Psalm or sing a hymn. My kids cannot let this moment pass without singing Dayenu until we eventually have to stop them. Ha ha!
The leader now pours the 4th cup of wine, praises God for the fruit of the vine, and everyone drinks it.
The leader concludes, reminding everyone that tonight’s feast reminds of God’s deliverance for us, not only from slavery in Egypt but also from our sin and the death we deserve. We are redeemed through the blood of Jesus just as the blood of the lamb in the first Passover redeemed the Israelites.
I know there are some out there reading this thinking “A simple overview?!?!”. I was there once too! There’s more to a full Seder, but this post includes just what I consider to be the most important elements. It’s difficult to introduce this tradition if it’s new to you, but if you’ve been convicted that this is something you should be doing with your family, please do it anyway. My family’s first Passover didn’t go as we planned, and we stumbled through it, but we all have learned a LOT since then! Expect a challenge as you start and continue this rich tradition, and I’m guessing you’ll be blessed by your perseverance.
I love this pamphlet by Rose Publishing called Christ in the Passover! It explains why Passover is meaningful to Christians and the significance of the items and story behind the Passover Seder.
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After realizing the value of learning the Hebraic Roots of the Christian faith, there is no clear path to follow, leaving many people feeling stuck, not knowing how to proceed. Although they know that many Jewish traditions like Passover, for example, point to Jesus and enrich the Gospel, there’s no specific source on how to implement those in a modern American Christian family. Searching the internet may help, but it may also be confusing due to conflicting viewpoints inside and outside the Hebrew Roots Movement.
In Acts, there was an ongoing debate about whether Gentiles could participate in the faith of the early Messianic Jews without following all details of the Torah. James the Apostle replies, “Therefore, I judge you not to trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God…” (Acts 15:19-20). James knew, and I’m assuming God knows, that learning Jewish traditions as a Gentile takes some time and grace. Although Christians have already “turned to God,” we may be just beginning to incorporate Biblical practices into our faith. Our family has had to find resources and learn a lot independently, and there has been a steep learning curve. If you give time and grace to yourself and your family in this endeavor and combine them with your conviction about learning these practices, you’ll eventually figure it out. It has been a long process for my family and me, but we’ve grown so much, and it’s been so worth it!
The best place to start is by incorporating the practice of a weekly Sabbath. Observing the Sabbath is where my family started, but I have other reasons for it being a good starting point.
It’s one of the 10 commandments (Ex. 20:8 and others).
It happens weekly, allowing for a lot of practice.
Your practice of it can vary.
Many Jews revere it as the most holy day.
It can bring peace to your home.
It will bring rest.
It is a sign of the covenant between God and His people (Ex. 31:16, Lev. 24:8, and others).
It was made for us! (Mark 2:27)
Soon after you attempt to start doing the Sabbath, you’ll realize that the rest of your week must change to accommodate a workless Sabbath. Friday will turn into Preparation Day, and the chores from Friday and Saturday must be spread out throughout the week. It may be helpful at this point to make or revise your cleaning schedule. A word of caution, though – be careful you don’t ruin your Sabbath by sliding into it exhausted, resentful, and arguing with your family due to your stressing to get everything done. Unfortunately, I’ve done it many times, and it will disrupt the peace the Sabbath is supposed to bring. Keep preparations simple at first, focused on allowing for rest, togetherness, and time with God. Here are some things to start with.
Compile some family favorite recipes that are easy to make or can be made ahead of time and use those for Friday and Saturday evenings.
Make or plan meals with little prep (like veggies and dip or sandwiches) for Saturday lunches. Here’s the hummus recipe we use regularly.
Make sure the house is clean enough for everyone to be able to relax (kitchen, bathrooms, and main living areas functionally clean).
Lay out clothing for Shabbat on Friday.
Find resources
I’m so glad you’re reading this! When I started my Hebraic faith journey, resources for Christians were minimal. I had to wade through Jewish sources, deciphering what applied to me and what didn’t. While I won’t claim to have all the answers, I will share what I’ve learned to make this path easier for other Believers to travel. Many other resources are out there now, most of which weren’t available even a few years ago. Here are some of my favorites, and there are even more on my resources page:
Websites
Hebrew for Christians – While the focus is to teach Hebrew, they also cover holidays, prayers, and more.
119 Ministries – Videos and podcasts that provide Biblical answers to many of our questions on our journey.
Torah Class – The BEST bible study I’ve found that’s from a Hebraic perspective. This study is intense, not directed toward seekers but mature Christians familiar with the Bible. The site has many studies covering the Old and New Testaments and topics, all of which are free!
Land of Honey – Many additional resources for Christians seeking Hebraic information – holidays, printables, etc.
Aish.com – Educational website about Judaism – holidays, Torah, Jewish wisdom, etc.
It’s easier to navigate this new beginning with a community. Chances are getting better that there’s one near you. Even if there’s not, it’s worth the drive! Find one here or here.
I know visiting a new church or synagogue can be intimidating, especially of a different faith than you’re used to! In my experience, Messianic Jewish congregations are open to Christians joining them and welcome them with open arms. If you have any questions or are hesitant to visit one in your area, call first and inquire. I’m willing to bet they’d love to have you show up!
Study the Torah
Studying the Bible from the point of view that the Torah (the first five books) is the root of all Scripture can deepen your knowledge of the Bible in its entirety! If you’re not sure where to start, print out and follow my free, printable Torah reading schedule. It will have a reading from the Torah and a corresponding reading from the New Testament. When I started studying the Bible this way, it significantly improved my understanding of the whole Bible, and I think it will do the same for you.
Learn Some Hebrew
It’s not just one more thing to add to our already full to-do list! Learning the Biblical Hebrew language or having a good grasp on the most-used Hebrew words in the Old Testament can significantly increase your understanding of the culture of the Hebrew people (Jesus’s!), both the Old and New Testaments, and even God Himself.
Although translated by some very educated and gifted individuals, there’s no substitute for the Bible in its original languages. Hebrew doesn’t translate well to English, leaving room for some misunderstanding. One of our lifelong pursuits as Christians is to study the words of our God. Given this, what could stop us from increasing our understanding of the Bible by learning the original language of its writing? Get started! I bet it won’t be as challenging as you think!
Stay in the Word
Always. But especially while you’re on this path that is new to you. As you research and come across resources to help you, use discernment. Compare what you hear to what the Bible says and pray for clarification when necessary. Many Christians of all denominations have gradually and unknowingly strayed from following God through His word to following a pastor, author, or another person instead. This journey is between you and your family and God. Please make sure it brings glory to Him and no one else.
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As many Christians grow in their faith, they begin to pursue the Biblical roots of their faith. They incorporate the Biblical Holy Days, the study of the Hebrew language, and maybe even some Jewish traditions into the practice of their Christian faith.
But how specifically is this different from traditional Christianity? We’ll get to that in a minute. First, let’s look at one way we’re the same to avoid confusion.
Salvation by Grace
Just as traditional Christianity holds to the doctrine of grace (Romans 11:6; Ephesians 2:8–9, and more), so do Hebraic Believers. Unfortunately, this is the biggest misunderstanding and most common objection to the Hebraic faith from their Christian brothers and sisters. Many assume that we’ve shifted from the belief that we’re saved through the sacrifice of Jesus to the belief that we’re saved instead by adherence to the Law. This isn’t true.
Sadly, in some cases, this misunderstanding has led to a wide divide between traditional Christianity and Christians who practice in the ways of their Biblical roots. Instead of being a divider, the concept of grace should be one thing that unites these two faiths!
Where We Differ
Although we have many similarities and agree on many of the concepts in the Bible, the main thing we differ on is how to live out our faith.
Applying the commands in the Torah to the life of a Christian is by far the most common objection traditional Christians have with our faith. You may be surprised to hear, though, that most Christians already observe much of the Law. The 10 Commandments (Ex. 20), the ideal setup for marriage (Gen. 2:24), and the command to love your neighbor (Lev. 19:8) are all parts of the Law. The difference is that we observe a few more of the laws found in the Old Testament than traditional Christians do.
But because we make an effort to follow the Law doesn’t mean we think that’s what saves us. I’ve heard countless Christian arguments of this sort, and this is a result of a misunderstanding of what Hebraic Christians believe.
The main objection is that we teach against grace. They incorrectly assume that, because we teach that Believers should observe the Law, we consider it to be what saves, instead of the blood of Jesus. I’ve heard it said that we even “preach a gospel contrary to what Paul preached” (Gal. 1:8-9).
But what they don’t understand is that we don’t believe that at all. We do not believe or preach that we’re not saved by grace. As a part of multiple communities in the Hebraic and Messianic Christian faiths, I will tell you that I’ve never heard from someone who believes we’re not under grace. I haven’t heard from any group or individual in this faith that has replaced grace with the Law.
A lot of the disagreement comes from our differing interpretation of Pauline Scripture. If you’re interested in pursuing the Hebraic position vs. that of traditional Christianity on this, 119 Ministries has an in depth video series explanation as well as a short book and blog post, all entitled “The Pauline Paradox”.
In the quest to get back to our Biblical roots, many choose to learn Biblical Hebrew. There are many benefits to learning Hebrew but the most common is to bring clarity when studying the Bible.
While only some traditional Christians choose to learn Hebrew, most Hebraic Believers are at some level of knowledge of Hebrew. Some just know basic greetings or names of people and places in the Bible and some are full-blown Hebraists!
Church Replaces Israel
Most Hebraic Believers don’t believe in what’s known as Replacement Theology. This is the concept that the Christian church has replaced the nation (or people) of Israel. Replacement Theology says that the Jewish people are no longer God’s people because the Christian church has taken that place. This idea is not only antisemitic, it’s anti-Biblical!
We believe instead that we’re grafted in to the promises God gave to Israel. We’re adopted into this family of God’s people through our faith in the Messiah but we don’t replace the natural-born children of that family. For more on the relationship between the church and Israel, read Wild Olive Branches: The Blessing of Being Grafted In.
Christians Don’t Become Jews
Another problem Christians see with Hebraic Believers is that they think we’re trying to become Jewish. They argue that one cannot just follow the Law and observe the Holy Days and then be changed into a Jew in the same way you can become Baptist by becoming a member of a Baptist church.
They’re correct. We do not become Jews. This is just another misunderstanding I’ve heard often about Hebraic Believers. We do not believe we are changing into Jews by practicing our faith this way. Our goal is to practice our faith in the way God wants us to. We base these practices on what we find in the Bible and we incorporate some valuable Jewish traditions as we see their relevance to our faith Biblically.
Acceptance of Jewish Traditions
While we’re on the subject of Jewish traditions, this is another objection Christians have to the Hebraic faith. Some say we shouldn’t have practices common to the Jewish people, as we’re not Jewish.
I have two responses to this. First, we follow a Jewish rabbi. Jesus did Jewish things, not just because he just happened to be born into a Jewish family but because that was the faith he was bringing others into. If you struggle with the idea of our Savior being Jewish, I encourage you to think and pray about this: When Jesus returns, will he be Jewish? Did he come to earth to start a new religion? Jesus’s Biblical Jewishness isn’t something he renounced and we shouldn’t either.
Second, many Jewish traditions are deeply rich in the ways they highlight aspects of our faith. Hanukkah is a celebration of God’s faithfulness to His people, as is Purim. Bar Mitzvahs are an important transition where our youth takes responsibility for their own faith. Lighting candles on Shabbat (the Sabbath) helps us fulfill the command to remember the Sabbath and sets it apart from the other days of the week.
These and other Jewish traditions bring our focus back to God and His Word in a way traditional Christianity does not. We learn from them and there are even some Jewish organizations, such as The Chabad, Rabbi Lapin, and Dennis Prager, that direct their ministries partly toward including Christians in their faith.
Different Bible Versions
Christians of all kinds have preferences to certain versions of the Bible. It’s wonderful to live in a time, where we not only have access to God’s Word, we can even choose our favorite way to study it because we have so many resources available to us!
Hebraic Believers tend to prefer more literal Bible translations. We also attempt to replace some of the “Jewishness” and ancient Middle Eastern culture that has been removed from some traditional translations.
My intent in writing this post is to clarify these differences for those seeking answers in this area. Although we do have differences, believers in Christ from all backgrounds are parts of the same body, and we should function as such:
For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
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Below are a few Hebrew words that can be better understood in their original language and context. Not nearly an exhaustive list, these few words, better understood from a Hebrew perspective, will illuminate some familiar Christian concepts and bring us closer to the God of the Bible.
1. Shalom שָׁלוֹם (pronounced sha-lōm)
This is a common greeting in Hebrew. Upon meeting someone, you’d say “Shalom,” and they’d respond with the same. Many Hebrew speakers say, “Shalom Aleichem” (peace be with you) instead. On the Sabbath, we wish each other “Shabbat shalom” (Peaceful Sabbath).
The word shalom is often translated simply as peace. While this is partly what shalom means, it only partially conveys its meaning. The concept of shalom goes deeper than that and brings us to realize the perfection in our holy God!
Shalom is a noun with many meanings. Its definition includes completeness, soundness, and welfare, along with harmony, prosperity, and tranquility. We’re left without an English word to convey all these, but searching the Bible for the word shalom can illuminate its more profound significance. Believe it or not, understanding shalom can help us better understand our God’s character!
A Name for God
Shalom is part of one of the names for God in Judges 6:24. Having met God himself and seen firsthand His supernatural power, Gideon built an altar and named it “Jehovah Shalom” or “The LORD is peace” to let everyone know that our God is shalom. He is peace and wholeness, completeness and perfection, harmony and prosperity – all of it!
The Way Things Ought to Be
In his book, Not the Way it’s Supposed to Be, Cornelius Plantinga of Calvin Theological Seminary says the following about shalom:
“The webbing together of God, humans, and all creation in justice, fulfillment, and delight is what the Hebrew prophets call shalom. We call it peace, but it means far more than mere peace of mind or a cease-fire between enemies. In the Bible, shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight – a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts fruitfully employed, a state of affairs that inspires joyful wonder as its Creator and Savior opens doors and welcomes the creatures in whom he delights. Shalom, in other words, is the way things ought to be.”
CORNELIUS PLANTINGA
Jesus and Shalom
By examining the word shalom, we can also better know Jesus, our Messiah. Isaiah calls Jesus the “Prince of shalom” in verse 9:6. Of all the terms above that are used to define shalom, Jesus has those qualities and is the Prince of them!
We can also use other words from the same root word to better understand what Jesus is Prince of. “Whole,” “it was worth it,” “perfect,” “was paid for,” and “paid for in advance” are meanings of words that come from the same root as shalom. It’s no coincidence that those concepts are part of our story as well. The perfect Prince of Shalom found us worth it and paid for our sin, making us whole!
You already know this one. It’s a word we use in song and otherwise to praise God all the time! Hallelujah is made up of halal and Jah. Halal means “to praise,” “to shine,” “to be boastful,” “to act foolish,” and other similar terms. Jah or Yah is short for the name of God in the Bible, Yahweh. So, hallelujah is to praise God, make Him shine, boast in Him, or even go crazy worshiping Him!
Crazy Worship?!
Is that too much? Well, that depends. Are we just saying words when we praise God, or are we approaching the Creator of the universe to tell Him just how amazing we think He is? Those in heaven know more than we do about God’s awesomeness, and this is the word they use to worship Him!
“After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, ‘Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God…’ And a second time they said, ‘Hallelujah! …’ And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, ‘Amen. Hallelujah!’ …Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.’”
I don’t know about you, but reading these verses always gives me chills. Sometimes, we subconsciously fit God into our itty-bitty human box and forget that He’s the most awesome supernatural God ever. Try to picture this scene. God, on His heavenly throne, in His holy throne room, surrounded by heavenly elders and frightening creatures, is being worshiped by them. All the glory is His. The awe of the scene and God Himself is not lost on them, and they burst out with nothing other than repeated hallelujahs!
The powerful meaning behind hallelujah in our hearts when we worship might show Him at least a tiny shred of the praise He’s worthy of. What could we possibly say? It’s one of the best words our mortal mouths can offer. Hallelujah!
3. Yeshua יֵשׁוּעַ(pronounced yeh-shoo-uh)
This word is often translated as “Joshua” in the Hebrew Old Testament. It’s also the name of Jesus, our Savior! So, wait. If his name is actually Yeshua, why do we call him Jesus? Where did that come from?
Why Do We Call Him Jesus?
Where Yeshua is found in the Hebrew Old Testament, it is translated into English as Joshua. It was a male name in Bible times, and there are a few different Joshuas or Yeshuas in the Bible. When translated from Greek to English in the New Testament, it underwent a couple of transitions and then became Jesus.
Many now argue that the name Jesus is incorrect and, therefore, should not be used, but we should be careful not to get sidetracked by this. Jesus lived in a multilingual area, and he would have also been. He probably taught and conversed in different languages as necessary. What’s important here and in Jesus’s teachings is to preserve the word’s meaning.
More Than Just a Name
Beyond being a name, the word Yeshua is used throughout the Hebrew scriptures, meaning “salvation.” It was derived from the Hebrew word yasha, which means “to deliver” or “to rescue.” There are many well-known examples of where it’s used in the Old Testament, but here are a couple of my favorites:
“The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation [yeshua];
This is my God, and I will praise Him;
My father’s God, and I will extol Him.” Exodus 15:2
“He only is my rock and my salvation [yeshua],
My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.” Psalm 62:2
Isn’t it wonderful that Jesus’s name was the very thing he would do for us? Others with this same name in the Bible were also saviors of some type. Joshua led the Israelites during a time of numerous victories while conquering the land of Canaan. Yeshua, the High Priest, was the first High Priest in the rebuilt Temple following its destruction by the Babylonians. Isn’t it amazing that this important High Priest, the bridge from the Israelites to God, shares a name with our High Priest (Heb. 4:14) and way to God (John 14:6)?
4. Chesedחֶסֶד(pronounced che-sed, with the “ch” sound coming from the throat, as in Bach)
Known for its difficulty translating into English, this word contains a “chet,” a letter with a sound called a guttural. Since we don’t have true gutturals in English, it can be difficult to say this word correctly. Go ahead and practice. Say “Bach” – like the composer. Say it out loud. Listen for the sound at the end of the word, then say it at the beginning of chesed.
Chesed’s Meaning
Now that we know how it sounds, what does it mean? It’s commonly translated as mercy, kindness, lovingkindness, and goodness. It’s often used to convey God’s love toward His people, but, somewhat like God, it is much more complex than our first impression shows. Here are some very different examples of chesed’s use in the Bible.
“Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness [chesed] and truth; who keeps lovingkindness [chesed] for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.'” Exodus 34:6-7
“If there is a man who takes his sister, his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter, so that he sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace [chesed]; and they shall be cut off in the sight of the sons of their people. He has uncovered his sister’s nakedness; he bears his guilt.” Leviticus 20:17
Which is it?
In the above verse from Exodus, chesed is commonly translated as “lovingkindness .” God declares chesed an attribute of Himself. But then, the very same word is used to describe incestuous behavior, translated into English as “disgrace.” The contexts of both verses suggest two meanings for the same word, but this is not so.
Chesed translated as lovingkindness, mercy, charity, or even disgrace, doesn’t do justice to its whole meaning. This complex word conveys instead an attitude or behavior that shows an overflow of zeal or a lack of boundaries. Chesed comes from the Hebrew root meaning “eager and ardent desire .” It can mean both God-sized lovingkindness and disgrace worthy of great punishment because it is not a specific action but the passion or motivation behind it.
God’s
Infinite Love
When God describes His love for us using the word chesed, He’s telling us that He has a boundless, overflowing love for us! Inside His love for us is His infinite grace, immeasurable love, inexhaustible forgiveness, and unlimited charity. And seriously, Guys? None of us deserve that. I don’t care how great you think you are. We’re nothing but selfish, disobedient specks in this universe. What an awesome God we have that He would extend His chesed to us!
5. Shema שְׁמַע (pronounced shuh-ma)
This word is the first one in The Shema, Deuteronomy 6:4-9, which is recited regularly by Orthodox Jews and by many Christians. It’s also the verse Jesus refers to when asked what the greatest commandment is.
“Hear [Shema], O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:4-9
To Hear?
Shema is generally translated as “hear .” But right now, I can hear birds singing out the window, my daughter’s TV show in the background, and the keystrokes on my laptop. If the word shema is used to call the attention of the people of Israel and is followed by informing them that their lives should be a walking testament to God Himself, the word “hear” doesn’t quite convey what’s being said. In addition to “hear,”shema is also translated elsewhere in the Old Testament as “report,” “fame,” “tidings, “loud,” and “speech.”
It Requires Action
If you take the word with its context, however, it means more than the culmination of these words. In Deuteronomy 6, Shema is a command to not only hear God’s words but to act on them. I think of it in the same way as when I tell my children to listen. I don’t only mean for them to stop what they’re doing and hear what I say. I mean for them to hear and internalize what I say so that they remember and obey it.
This meaning is the same as shema can have. We need to pay attention—always studying God’s Word and spending time in prayer with Him so we can hear His words in the first place. Then, we need to internalize what He says, not just read or hear it and forget it. We need to remember it and, when required, obey it and apply it to our lives.
6. Amen אָמֵן (pronounced ah-meyn)
I know, I know – everyone knows this one. But did you know that it was a Hebrew word? Also, look at the above pronunciation. We can argue all day whether or not it’s pronounced ah-men or ay-men or when to use either, but for those who want to be purists about it, it’s neither!
The Deeper Meaning
This Biblical Hebrew word is unique because its primary meaning has not been lost in translation and cultural differences. “So be it” is the usual translation for amen. Amen is used correctly when we use it to affirm something someone says or after a prayer. Its root is aman, meaning “to confirm or support .” A related word is amanah, which means truthfulness, confirmation, credence, or belief. By saying amen, we’re stating that we confirm what has been said, believe in it, and find it true.
We say it to conclude our prayers and signify when we pray in unison with other people. We also use it in song to affirm the words and the message of our worship. Some even yell it out in church when a pastor says something that resounds with them.
The Conclusion of God’s Word
Our entire Bible concludes with this word. The last verse in the Bible sums up the whole Word, then affirms this message of truth with the “so be it” we know so well:
“The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.” Revelation 22:21
Amen is also translated as “truth,” as in the following verse.
“Because he who is blessed in the earth
Will be blessed by the God of truth [amen];
And he who swears in the earth
Will swear by the God of truth [amen];
Because the former troubles are forgotten,
And because they are hidden from My sight!” Isaiah 65:16
Each word “truth” in this verse comes from amen in Hebrew. It says twice here that God is the “God of amen,” so this is one of God’s attributes or characteristics. He is the God of truth but also of confirmation, faithfulness, support, and affirmation of that truth. How privileged are we to have someone like this as our God?!
7. Mashiach מָשִׁיחַ (pronounced ma-shee-ach)
This word can be translated as “messiah,” but more literally means “anointed one.” In most places in the Bible, the English is “anointed one .” Only two verses translate it as “Messiah .” When used to refer to Jesus as the Messiah, Yeshua HaMashiach is used. Yeshua HaMashiach means “Jesus the Messiah” or “Jesus the Anointed One.”
Why Anoint?
The process of anointing someone with oil served to set that individual apart for service to God. It was used in the Old Testament to appoint priests (Ex. 29:7) and to establish kings over God’s people. Saul and David were appointed in this way (1 Sam. 10:1 and 2 Sam. 16:12-13), and prophecy in the Old Testament speaks of Jesus as Mashiach, “anointed one.”
“So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah [Mashiach] the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.” Daniel 9:25
In this verse, Mashiach is usually translated as “Messiah” instead of “Anointed One,” but the Hebrew word is the same. Jesus is truly our Mashiach! He has been anointed by God, chosen, and appointed to be our king and high priest!
8. Davar דָּבָר (pronounced duh-var)
The most basic translation of davar is that it means “word .” It can also mean “speak,” “pronounce,” “formalize,” “thing,” or “establish .” Here are some examples of its use in the Old Testament.
“And the Lord spoke [davar] to Moses, saying, “Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the sons of Israel go out of his land.” Exodus 6:10-11
“‘ Is anything [davar] too difficult for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.'” Genesis 18:14
“Then behold, the word [davar] of the Lord came to him…” Genesis 15:4
Although davar is translated as three different English words in the verses above, it means all of them. The context of each is used to derive the word’s meaning in each situation in which it’s used so that the essence of the scripture is not lost.
Its Use in the New Testament
But things get exciting when davar is translated from Hebrew into Greek in the New Testament. This word is translated into two different Greek words: logos, which refers to a written word, and rhema, which refers to the utterance or the thing that was said.
Jesus, Our Written Word
At the beginning of the book of John, Jesus is referred to as “the Word .” Logos is the Greek word used here, so we can conclude that Jesus is a type of written word. He was here on earth in a physical form and could be “read” as people could watch him and listen to him teach about God and himself. Some of these people recorded the events of his life on earth so we, too, can “read” him.
“In the beginning was the Word [Logos], and the Word [Logos] was with God, and the Word [Logos] was God.” John 1:1
The Power of God’s Word
Later in the New Testament, Hebrews 11:3 tells us that God’s word created something out of nothing.
“By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word [rhema] of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.” Hebrews 11:3
In this verse, the Greek rhema is used in place of “davar,” which is translated into English as “word .” But the implication of this verse is to show us just what kind of power there is in God’s spoken words! God spoke davar into nothingness and created order, an entire universe, and even us!
Davar teaches us that we can “read” Jesus, our “written” Word. He has been there all along, from before creation, but came to earth so we could learn from him and rescue ourselves from certain destruction. It also shows the power of God’s very utterances. He’s so awesome that things that previously didn’t exist spring into existence, just at His word!
It’s unsurprising when these two concepts come together further into the New Testament. 1 Corinthians 1:23-24 calls Jesus “the power and the wisdom of God .” The Word, God’s davar, IS His very power and wisdom! Our Savior is the magnificent power and the infinite wisdom of God!
9. Ra’ רַע (pronounced rah)
There are many different words for sin in the Bible, but ra’ is used more than 600 times! It comes from another Hebrew word, ra’a, meaning evil or bad. When you remove the “a” sound at the end, its meaning encompasses “evil,” “harm,” “displeasure,” or “misery,” but it also conveys an aspect of brokenness. It can mean “broken into pieces,” like when something’s completely ruined, or “blemished,” like things unfit for presentation to God, such as for sacrifice.
Use in Scripture
The ugly, gaunt cows from Pharaoh’s dream in Genesis 41 are described using this word, as is the wild beast that Joseph’s brothers claimed devoured him in Genesis 37. It’s also translated into “evil” in describing the tree in the Garden of Eden. It was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Ra’.
Brokenness
While we know that sin is disobedience to God, without the aspect of brokenness, we have no reason to turn to our Savior. Everyone knows there’s sin in their life, but not everyone realizes their brokenness in it. We all know someone who says, “Sure, I’ve done bad things, but I’m a good person overall.” They imply that sin is just part of who we are, but God will compare us to one another and forgive the good people for being less evil than the really evil ones.
It sounds great, but that’s just not how it works. The Bible says that we ALL have fallen short of God’s glory (Rom. 3:23). He’s just too glorious, too perfect, and too holy for us – even the good ones – to ever measure up to Him. HE is what we’ll be compared to in judgment, so we all need Jesus, the only person to have kept all of the Law perfectly, as our substitute.
Without realizing that the ra’ in our hearts has left us blemished, unacceptable, and broken before God, we cannot see our need to accept the gift of Jesus. When we get to the point of being devastated by our ra’, we can then humbly approach God, genuinely repentant, and be made unblemished, acceptable, and perfect in the eyes of our Creator, fit for communion with Him!
These are just a few Hebrew words that can enrich our faith by understanding them in their original form. Imagine what can come to light while learning even more of the Hebrew language! As lifelong students of the Bible, learning its primary original language will deepen our faith and our relationship with the God of the universe!
