While in Florida, I witnessed a little girl crying uncontrollably. She was yelling and screaming because her parents wanted her to stop playing so that they could all eat dinner. Even though they tried to remind her about her hunger, she wouldn’t listen, because she wanted “to play.” She didn’t even notice that the rest of the family was being served food. Her father finally got her attention by holding her. Upon quieting down, she noticed everyone else was eating. With a deep breath and a newfound calmness, she stated with all three years of her childhood wisdom, “I’m having a hard time.” Her father agreed with her and then asked her if she was ready to eat. Her answer? “Yes.”
Human beings can be short-sighted. Due to our sinful nature, we many times see only the problem and not the solution. We whine and complain about what others do to us, what we don’t have, our circumstances, how we are being controlled, or where we have failed in the past. We also choose at times to purposefully close ourselves off from new opportunities or new information, because we are too proud to consider changing our position on any given topic or belief system. In so doing, we can easily miss out on something constructive that is either right in front of us or something that carries a positive opportunity.
While reading Dr. Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life, I came across a quoted study from Dr. Daniel Simmons called, “Sustained Inattentional Blindness.” In the study, Dr. Simmons created video scenarios to see what the participants would notice. The first video showed a field of waving wheat while a wide road was slowly injected cutting through the field, from which the majority of observers failed to notice the road. The second video showed two teams; one wearing black and one wearing white. He asked the participants to count the number of times the ball was passed between them, which they all got correct. But when asked about whether or not they saw a man dressed in a gorilla suit who had jumped into the middle of the action, only one out of two participants noticed. Finally, Dr. Simmons ended with a video of people being served at a counter. When the server was given the order, he would retrieve it by bending down and behind the counter. While behind the bar, he was replaced by another server, who would come up to continue serving. 70% of participants watching the video did not notice the change.
What does this possibly have to do with the study of Shemot in the Book of Names? Consider Acts, chapter seven, and the testimony of Stephen to the Jewish leaders who had arrested him due to a group called “Synagogue of Freedom.” These men were jealous of the signs and wonders being performed through Stephen and they brought false witnesses against him as they came to the ruling Council. Their biggest accusation was the following: “. . . for we have heard him say that this Nazarene, Yeshua, will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses handed down to us.” (Acts 6:8-15)
Of course, the accusations point out two obvious problems of “blindness:” Jealousy over the workings of the Spirit and fear that customs (oral traditions) might be changed or challenged. Consequently, they could not hear or see anything else in front of them.
Can you imagine the facial expressions on the council and those accusing Stephen? Can you imagine the look on Stephen’s face? The writer of Acts lets us know the answer:
“And all who were sitting in the Council stared at him, and they saw his (Stephen’s) face, which was like the face of an angel.” Acts 6:15
When before the court, Stephen proceeds to defend his position by reciting the history of the House of Judah—the keepers of the law. After doing so, he makes this final quote:
“You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute?
They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, and you have now become betrayers and murderers of Him; you who received the Law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.” Acts 7:51-53
Stephen’s accusation towards the Jewish leadership was a reminder of infamous names and jealousy towards them. For not only had they killed these prophets but they had killed the Messiah Himself. The court and those accusing Stephen knew history. When finally faced with the guilt of their actions there was no repentance—only anger and they couldn’t bear it. The writer of Acts gives us another picture of faces. But these did not express Shalom nor look like any angel. Instead:
“they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him.” Acts 7:54
As a reminder to us, here is a short list of the prophets murdered by the tribe of Judah—the tribe who should heeded Yah’s servants. It includes Jeremiah, Isaiah, Micah, Zechariah, and of course Yeshua.
Jeremiah was stoned to death in Daphne, Egypt by a group of Jewish leaders according to early church leader Tertullian, (Tahpanhes in Hebrew). Jeremiah’s “crime” was telling them truths they did not want to hear. Why? Because he insisted that the people put away their idols, repent of their sins, and stop being hypocritical in their honor of YHWH in the temple. For this, he was banned from the temple, although he was himself the son of a priest. (Scorpiace, Chapter VIII & extrabiblical writing Lives of the Prophets).
Isaiah, a prophet to Judah for well over 55 years was martyred by King Manasseh, son of Hezekiah. According to the tradition, Isaiah was tied inside a sack, placed within the hollow of a tree trunk, and then sawed in two. This story traces back to a first-century, noncanonical book called The Ascension of Isaiah. (Hebrews 11 also makes mention of those sawn in two.) What was his crime? “Stirring up trouble” by pointing away from man-garnered leadership and to the power of the soon-coming Messiah.
Micah a prophet from the tribe of Ephraim went to his brothers in Judah to warn them of their hypocrisy and idolatry. King Jehoram then executed him for “stirring up trouble.” We also have the prophet Zechariah who was killed due to his public announcement against Jehoash, as noted in 2 Chron. 24:20-22
“And the spirit of God enveloped Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood above the people and said to them, “So said God: Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord? You will not succeed because you have forsaken the Lord, and He has forsaken you.”
“And they conspired against him and stoned him by the king’s command, in the forecourt of the House of the Lord.”
“And King Joash did not remember the loving-kindness that Jehoiada his father had done with him, but he killed his son, and upon his death, he said, “May the Lord see and requite.”
An interesting side-note: It was after the killing of Zechariah that the divinations from the Ephod ceased as well as all apparitions from angels. In short, the Spirit of Yah moved away.
We then come to Yeshua who was also brought up on “causing trouble” for the nation. Caiaphas, raised to the level of High Priest by illegitimate means and the most powerful person in Judea—a person who did not believe in the resurrection, wanted Yeshua to die. He spoke, “You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” (Jn. 11) Do you think this man was personally challenged after knowing that Yeshua raised Lazarus from the dead? I believe He preferred to destroy this challenge to his beliefs instead of supporting it.
After reading the entirety of Shemot. I’ve come up with the following personal observations:
- If a nation charged and blessed with a scepter to rule Yah’s people (Gen. 49:8-12) can fall short in recognizing the Spirit and murder the bearers of Yah’s word, then how careful should we be when balancing our protected opinions and/or traditions?
- I need to practice the ability to see beyond myself and consider the Word of Yah over the approval of men.
- Shortsightedness can easily belong to any congregation, leadership, or group of people.
- Joseph was not “known” to the new Pharoah who reigned sometime after the Pharoah who reigned during the life of Joseph. The first Pharoah “knew” the “Name” of Joseph and even gave him a description: “Treasury of the Glorious Rest.” From this, I know the Spirit of Yah is available to all who seek.
- Stephen humbled himself to the Spirit of Yah which allowed him to speak in the Spirit. We must follow this example.
- We must not be “inattentive”, but “attentive” to the Spirit. We cannot allow spiritual blindness to occur because we want our way. We need Yah’s way.
May you be blessed this Sabbath,
Rollyn