Greetings in Yeshua’s name!
Prayer request for families that have multiple members undergoing medical/health issues and difficulties, and especially for God’s guidance and strength for caregivers.
The Hebrew for “family” actually has a wider meaning than we think of in the West. In the Middle East there’s the wider association especially with one’s tribe.
Arabs especially identity with and by tribe. They have no sense nor cultural history of nationhood or of thinking of loyalty to a nation, as is emphasized in the U.S.
Unfortunately, the U.S. government in operating in the Middle East, especially Iraq, failed to understand that Arab culture and society is very tribal, and has little – if any – experience or even desire to be a “nation”. They identity with tribe not “country”.
Further, neither Arabs nor Israelis like those they see as Outsiders trying to tell them what to do! The thinking in the Middle East from the time of the Bible through today is very very different than that of the West!
I remember one trip to Israel with a group where we visited a Bedouin, who was Muslim. He was very very hospitable offering the group coffee and tea; hospitality and welcoming strangers and visitors is a very big part of Middle East culture!
We see in the Torah that in the opening of Genesis 18 Abraham interrupted his time with the Lord shortly after he underwent the Covenant of circumcision, to run and take care of three men who came by his tent.
One of these we know of course was the Mashiach, who told Abraham that in the coming year he would have a son – Yitzchak – (“Isaac”).
Our Bedouin host spoke of something also the US government and most westerners unfortunately seem to be aware of; that honor is huge just huge, in the eastern half of the world.
He very matter of factly went on to say that if we insulted him, he just kills us. If we insult his wife or his mother honor demands that he kill us and I believe it’s 4 other family members.
Queen Noor of Jordan had as a major focus of her work as Queen trying to prevent and stop the honor killings as they’re called, from continuing.
In Gen 16:12 we see Yeshua, in his divinity as the Angel of the LORD telling Hagar what her son Ishmael would be like. In Hebrew what is typically translated as…”(a) wild ass of a man”…, is this.
The usual Hebrew word for donkey is not used; but rather, one that refers to a particular type of donkey that was very swift and so wild that it could not be domesticated. Further the Hebrew for “man” is not that would only indicate an individual.
Rather, “adam” is used which is used to indicate an individual but more generally in the Torah is the closest Hebrew has for the word “Man” as in “mankind”.
Certainly not to say that all Palestinians are like this but I can tell you from very first-hand experience this is very very much what Arabs are often like. As far as emotions go in the Middle East where they run very very high, among the Arabs on a scale from 1 to 10 they are somewhere between 12 to 15! Very very much more so emotional than the West which has been heavily influenced by Aristotle’s reason and logic.
Israelis too are very very emotional!
Unfortunately, many Westerners may miss the fact that Yeshua was actually a Jew from the Galil, who was very emotional, and very much part of a culture based on family and “we”; not the Western emphasis heavily influenced by Augustine who focused on “me”!
In Gen 16:12 Yeshua goes on to tell Hagar, in Hebrew, that Ishmael’s hand would be against the “whole/totality” “and the totality (English “all” or “everyone’s) hand against him”…
What Yeshua spoke of to Hagar regarding her son is exactly what we have seen through history. I can also tell you from very firsthand exp, that the Palestinians/Arabs very much need prayer!
In Hebrew the word family very interestingly has some organic connection with the word for justice, through some common root letters. To delve into this would take longer than I have to explain it unfortunately.
I will just very quickly point out that judges in the Torah and Hebrew Bible (cf. esp. Exodus) and who dispense justice, are seen as acting for God, which is why the Torah holds them to such a high standard!
Have a wonderful and blessed weekend!
Jacob