Haftarah (Conclusion) Yeshayahu (the LORD Save, Deliver, Victory, (is) He, ‘Isaiah’) 51:12-52:13
The Haftarah is the 4th of the readings of Consolation that follows after the 9th of Av, which commemorates the day of the destruction of the two Temples in Jerusalem and a number of painful disasters for the Jewish People post-Biblically.
Yeshayahu is of course very much focused on the Jewish People – as all the Prophets are! The LORD speaks through Yeshayahu in particularly very bold, vivid and direct terms to Israel. Yet, the LORD always speaks about His deep, deep love and concern for Israel.
Yeshayahu is the most studied and popular Books of the Prophets among Christians because of its number of prophecies about the Mashiach. What very unfortunately is missed and overlooked in Western Tradition teaching about Yeshayahu, is, that Yeshayahu is not just a proof text of prophecies about our Mashiach Yeshua.
Yeshayahu is – very much so (!) – about Israel. Not Israel as a theological abstraction; but, Israel the Jewish People. Yeshayahu, especially In chapters 40-49, shows how extremely close and closely connected Israel and her Mashiach are. In fact, in some instances in those chapters, it is very difficult at times to tell if it is Israel or the Mashiach who is being spoken about.
There is in fact no separating Yeshua from Israel; as the RCS clearly demonstrates despite times of bitter – and very Middle Eastern highly emotional – disagreement between Yeshua and his fellow Jews. Cf. Mt. 1:1-17, 9:36, 25:31-46, Lk. 1:30-34, chapter 2 ,19:41and following, Yochanon 4:22, 2 Tim. 2:8; Rev. 5:5, 22:16 etc.
The Torah reading begins with Dt. 16:18 and the well-known verses among observant Jews, ‘Justice justice shall you pursue’… Justice – in Hebrew meaning restoring things back to the way they should be, is very much emphasized here. This is both by placing it before the action of pursuing justice, and the repetition of the word justice.
Torah – Haftarah Connection
One rabbinic commentator points out that justice is a fundamental requisite for human living. The Haftarah is a consolation to Israel that when they are dispersed among the Nations, it will not be an injustice to Israel that needs to be righted, but rather that the LORD does not – ever – forget them.
Please Note: Our Overview & Keys to the Torah reading is now included with our audio teaching on the reading.
RCS Renewed Covenant Scripture Connections with the Torah Reading
This week is another with quite a number of Torah citations cited in the RCS – 26.
The following vss. from this week’s Torah reading are cited multiple times in the RCS.
Two verses., Dev. 18:15 and 19:15, are cited 5 or 6 times. These should thus be particularly noted.
Dev. 17:6 – Yochanon 8:17, 1 Tim. 5:19, Heb. 10:28
Dev. 17:7 – Yochanon 8:7, 1 Cor. 5:13
Dev. 18:15. In Dev. 17:14-16, we learn of what the LORD requires if the Israelites set a king over themselves. Now in Dev. 18, we learn what the requirements are for a true prophet. Dev. 18:15 and those verses around it are the only places in the entire Bible, that speak of what’s required for a true prophet. The Torah here also very clearly distinguishes between a false prophet and one sent by the LORD. A false prophet leads the Israelites away from the LORD, telling Israel to follow after what are called in Hebrew literally ‘after gods’, i.e., false gods. A prophet who leads Israel away from the LORD is very clearly characterized as a false prophet; even if something they say comes to pass.
Moshe in Dt. 18:15 speaks of the LORD raising up a prophet from the midst of the Israelites brothers … ‘like me’.
Moshe and the Mashiach are actually close; something Christians unfortunately are not taught. The name Moshe and the name/title Mashiach are – uniquely – related only in Hebrew. Both include the meaning ‘drawn from’. Moshe also, it should be noted, is together with the Prophet Eliyahu (‘My God (the) LORD be He’) in telling the Mashiach Yeshua what will befall him in Yerushalyim Lk. 9:28-36 the Transfiguration of Yeshua. Cf. v.31.
Understanding the connection between the Mashiach Yeshua and Moshe will help you see the all-important Biblical truth unfortunately not taught to followers of the Mashiach – that Mashiach is part of the whole of the Jewish People. Please dear one – be sure to see our teaching on this in the Yeshua Window, and elsewhere on our site!
We mean the following truthfully but sensitively. Understanding the truth of Yeshua’s not only coming from – but remaining part of – the whole of the Jewish People and connected closely with Israel’s greatest such as Abraham, Moshe, and David in particular, will help you to see him AS Yeshua Hamashiach, rather than the post-Biblical Westernized ‘JC’.
Dev. 18:15 – Mt. 17:15, Mk. 9:7, Lk. 24:27, Yochanon 5:46, 7:40, Acts 7:37
Dev. 18:15,18 – Yochanon 1:21, 6:14
Dev. 19:15 – Another Dev./Dt. verse several times – Mt. 18:16, Yochanon 8:17, 2 Cor. 13:1, 1 Tim. 5:19, Heb. 10:28
Dev. 19:15 – A very key verse when it comes to the Torah’s emphasis on justice and righteousness. The Torah is strident when it comes to the importance of establishing the truth regarding whether an individual has done something either criminally or morally and ethically wrong, or, has committed a sin or iniquity of some type. The Torah is also very strident and focused on something serious enough to warrant punishment in some form.
Thus; if there are grave consequences for one who has committed a particular violation of the Torah, the truth of the matter must be established on the basis of at least 2 witnesses. This is most especially so if it is something that would involve the death penalty.
Unlike secular justice, the Torah way of justice does not allow for imposing the death penalty on the basis of a single witness. Though perhaps the Western legal system would be reluctant to impose the death penalty in a capital case on the basis of one eyewitness, there is nothing that we are aware of that the law prohibits the death penalty on the basis of one witness.
We should also note that while each state in the U.S. has its own laws (taking into account that there is also Federal law), each of the Twelve Tribes of Israel certainly did not have their own laws statutes, practices, etc., separate from the Torah! As one rabbinic commentator put it well, the Torah is also the Constitution of the Jewish People.
In the U.S., while there are state charters as well as local and county laws, again, the Twelve Tribes of Israel were not given nor did each Tribe have anything like those.
Of the citations of Dev. 19:15 in the RCS. you should be sure please to see Mt. 18:16! Beginning with Mt. 18:15, Yeshua illuminates – as the Torah does – how to handle a matter if someone has done something against us. Yeshua – we should especially note – speaks of your brother.
As we repeatedly repeat in our teaching – the RCS emphasis is not on ‘Xristianos‘ ‘ Christians’; but rather ‘adelphos‘ ‘ brothers’; 3 uses versus 370 respectively! Paul uses forms of brothers/sisters between 125 and 150 times. You may be shocked to learn – Paul never uses the word ‘Xristianos – period.
Unfortunately, too many times we have seen Yeshua’s drawing from Dev. 19:15 in Mt. 18:16 regarding ‘two witnesses’ when it comes to a brother or sister not acting properly in some way, abused! We have seen multiple instances regarding assembly leadership when someone or someones, so to speak, legitimately question what leadership is doing.
People are then told that they are at fault for doing so. Mt. 18:16 is then cited and leadership engages another individual to point the finger at the person or persons who raised questions about leadership. Leadership, rather than acknowledging what they’ve been doing wrong – and turning away from it and asking for forgiveness – instead tells the individual or individuals if they don’t stop questioning things they will be brought before the assembly.
This is a horrible horrible horrible misuse of our Master Yeshua’s teaching and a perversion of the Torah verse and Yeshua’s citing it!
May we strive for and allow the Ruach Hakodesh to guide us in the correct understanding and application of Scripture, and in doing so, reflect the weightiness of the glory of the LORD, upon Him and upon His Son Yeshua!