Isn’t it interesting how the life we lead serves to teach us what is laid out in Scripture? I have also pointed out before how I love it when new scientific discoveries confirm what was written in Scripture thousands of years ago.
In my lifetime, I have lived (and continue to live) many different “chapters.” I try to think of each one as both an adventure and as a learning opportunity. Today I want to share some things learned in my orthopaedic chapters. The first is a life lesson taught to me by one great man:
If you would want to learn more about him you could Google Ted Hartman Orthopedist, and you will see a profile that also includes “Sherman tank driver,” which is how he served in WWII. Dr. Hartman for a time was the Dean of my medical school and Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedics, and he was my own personal orthopaedic surgeon when I messed up one of my knees as a medical student. One of his repeated quotations, relating to the length of residency training, was, “I can teach how to do orthopaedic surgery in a year; it takes five years to teach when to do orthopaedic surgery; but it takes a lifetime to learn when not to do orthopaedic surgery.”
Life is a great teacher. We have referred many times before to one of the references in the Appendix, Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus. In it there is a chapter (one of my personal favorites) titled Following the Rabbi. To follow is a quotation from that chapter:
“… an important difference between our Western idea of instruction and the kind of instruction given by Jewish rabbis to their disciples. To follow a rabbi meant something other than sitting in a classroom and absorbing his lectures. Rather, it involved a literal kind of following, in which disciples often traveled with, lived with, and imitated their rabbis, learning not only from what they said but from what they did — from their reactions to everyday life as well as from the manner in which they lived. The task of the disciple was to become as much like the rabbi as possible. This approach to teaching is much more like a traditional apprenticeship than a modern classroom. Around the world, and for thousands of years, apprenticeship traditions have been largely unchanged. Westerners are hardly aware of this very different, but surprisingly effective, way of teaching.”
- But, come to think of it, this design actually came from God. It is seen well in Scripture.
Two tablets of Ten Commandments
- The “Ten Words” are numbered differently by different groups. We will use this very abbreviated list for our discussion. R. Fohrman (AlephBeta.org) has given presentations on the structure of the Ten Words. Once again, I simplify, not covering all the parallels he points out. For our purposes, we will say that the first five are written on the first tablet and six through ten are written on the second tablet.
- First Commandment: “You shall have no other gods”
- Second Commandment: “You shall not make idols”
- Third Commandment: “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord”
- Fourth Commandment: “Remember the Sabbath, keep it holy”
- Fifth Commandment: “Honor your father and mother”
- Sixth Commandment: “You shall not murder”
- Seventh Commandment: “You shall not commit adultery”
- Eighth Commandment: “You shall not steal”
- Ninth Commandment: “You shall not lie”
- Tenth Commandment: “You shall not covet”
- The structure is noted by Fohrman as, the first five reflecting the concept of honoring authority figures (God and parents), the second five as honoring your neighbor/people.
So, you might say we are expected to serve apprenticeships by living with God and by living with parents. We watch the way God and parents interact in life and we learn from them. This is easy to see with parents, and we may learn how to do things and sometimes how not to do things by their example. The structure of family is one of our most powerful instructors.
How do we see by “living with God?” There are a few aspects to this. First is in getting to know his Word, inspired words written by those who have heard his voice. Second is that we learn from what we see in his Creation, paying close attention to his works, and gaining insight, once again, on how to do things and how not to do things (and of course the aspect of “consequences”). And third, one can see the benefit of sending a Messiah that we might watch every move and learn.
And this really is an excellent segue into the title of this blog, my second orthopaedic truism, “The enemy of good is perfect.” Much in orthopaedics has to do with cutting and reshaping bones or putting pieces of bones back together. (Please, for a moment reflect on the discussion of the parable of bones in Blog 162. “Rely.”) We learn, while in literal apprenticeship-mode (orthopedic residency) that it is easy to overdo one’s efforts to make everything “perfect” and further shatter fragments or weaken the bone. Or, we might want to put another metal plate to make it “just right,” without remembering that the more metal, the more we weaken the bone. We learn to bring it to a point where it is “good” and accept it at that point, knowing that God will handle the remainder. Bone is unlike the wood that a carpenter works with, in that it can adapt; it heals; it can fill in some flaws (as long as they are not too great. (Oh goodness, thus appears another microcosm/macrocosm parable 😲!) People often don’t realize it, but bone is alive, just like a tree is alive. After a tree has been cut into lumber, the wood is no longer alive, it can no longer adapt/change. (🤔 curious that my profession was in Orthopaedics) Wood is static, though obviously it can be shaped by the tools of mankind. A question we must ask ourselves is this, how much of our way of seeing things have we tried to attribute to YHWH? Do we try to “fit God into a box?” (A box made of wood?)
I have heard teachings, which you can consider, about the symbolism in Scripture both of bread and of bricks, which you might also see with wood/lumber. The theme has to do with combined effort of YHWH and mankind and our role in bringing about the “final product.” My warning to you is that, though I have heard teachings, I draw in some additional thematic connections here that I see, not included in those teachings. So please, be Berean (Acts 17:10-15) and double-check what I say with the ultimate reference, Scripture.
Let’s look first at bread. We first see bread in the consequence for Adam/man אדם(not man איש) in: ((( though I ask you please to see our question in Blog. 203. Garden Consequences, was it really a consequence for man אדם or for mankind האדם??? )))
⦁ Genesis 3:19
19 By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread,
til you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.”
⦁ Genesis 3:19 more literal
19 In sweat of your frustration/nose you eat bread לחם
Until you returning toward the ground,
For from it you were taken;
For dust you,
And toward dust you return.”
The teaching about bread relates to the two themes. First, in the Garden the only real effort put forward by mankind was to reach and grab what was growing on trees. That is not bread. BUT bread requires provision by YHWH, in contributing soil, sunshine, rain and seed from previous growth. It also requires mankind preparing soil, sowing seed, harvesting seed, winnowing and grinding seed, building ovens and fires, and cooking. So, bread is an example of a combined effort, a partnership between YHWH and mankind. These aspects are pointed out in two clear examples of the wilderness journey.
① the manna in the wilderness, totally provided from heaven, but coming with instruction on how and when to gather it and prepare it, which is verbalized by YHWH as a “test.” (Exodus 16:4-10)
② The switch to the land “flowing with milk and honey,” with manna stopping/the people eating produce of the land (the result of the efforts of people that preceded them (Joshua 5:20-12)).
Back to wood and the topic at hand. Use this very, very simple question as a mind experiment. In our English translations, this same two-letter word עץ means, in our English translations, both tree and wood (and other things as seen from the screenshot below). One is alive and changing. One is not alive, and static. They are similar in that quality the ESD refers to as “firmness,” and a bone in your body and a dry bone found in a field are similar in that same “firmness” quality. How can we know for sure in our translation, when עץ refers to something alive, and when something dead or static? Is the “firmness quality” all that matters? In the eyes of mankind האדם in the Garden, what actually did האדם see as the nature of these things growing in the Garden for calling the name עץ? YHWH allowed the naming to be done by האדם, by way of the generous nature of parent, encouraging and loving. But, what do things look like in the eyes of YHWH? These are conundrums. Or as the android Arthur in the movie Passengers says, “These are not robot questions.” (By the way, see the tree imagery in that movie.) Static/dead or capable of change/alive? 🤔
⦁ Deuteronomy 30:19-20
19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, 20 loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell toward the ground that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them.”
Oh, probably most everyone is aware of the “dry bones” passage in Ezekiel 37, a good one to re-read. Note especially Ezekiel’s answer to YHWH’s question about dry bones living, “My lord YHWH, you know.”
Hmmm – A look at עץ wood and עצם bone…
Impression עז goat אש fire עץ tree צא go out cognate permutations (strength/concentrate energy)
- This writer will go out on a limb here, which feel free to challenge, that when dead/static the only quality of עץ of significance is its strength. But I would also say that mankind האדם in the Garden could clearly have seen עץ the tree (alive) as being much more than the strength of the wood, but also a source of sustenance whence came fruit. There is extensive tree symbolism in Scripture, referred to previously (see especially Blogs 46-48), including the relationship of the Word to the tree.
- Also see Psalm 1; Ezekiel 47; Revelation 22
Impression עצם bone נסה test נסע go forward משׂא burden משה Moses שׂנא hate משׂא pronouncement סנה bush נחש serpent אנש be frail נשׂא lift up שמע hear; listen צמא thirst אשם destroy self cognate permutations (influence positively/negatively) also (withhold/provide)
Remember from p.299 of EDBH, “The מ indicates that which emanates from an object or person.”
🤔 in what way is “emanate from strength”/“emanate from concentration of energy” ↔︎ “withhold/provide?”
🤔 Emanating from strength ↔︎ emanating from concentration of energy
Two images from Scripture are important. The first I give is in John’s “Passion narrative”, the discussion of the breaking of the legs of the two criminals crucified with Yeshua/Jesus. And the second is the connection to the Pesach/Passover narrative.
⦁ John 19:31-37
31 Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. 35 He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe. 36 For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” ✱ 37 And again another Scripture (ESV – Zch 12:10) says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.”
✱ ESV references connections to Ex. 12:46; Num. 9:12; Ps. 34:19-22 – of course look at context.
- There is a complex trail to follow in the Numbers 24:8 reference above. From there is a reference to Isaiah 38:7-20 (and if you use cognate permutations, also see the connection to Genesis 33:14 אטט with דדה in Isaiah 38:15 – Impression תחת underneath אטט move softly דדה walk gently cognate permutations(place below to enter) And, this relates to the Blog 201. Baby Steps discussion). Please remember to read context, always, and especially in Genesis 33, the meeting of Jacob with Esau.
- And recall that the Numbers 24 proclamation is by Balaam. While he truly “sees,” i.e. prophesies visions from God, he also has wrong motivation, which is “for profit.” If you read Matthew 23, you may see a connection with Balaam (to follow Balaam’s entire situation, see Numbers 22-24, and also see Deuteronomy 23:4-5; Joshua 13:22, 24:9-10; Nehemiah 13:2; Micah 6:1-8; 2 Peter 2:15; Revelation 2:14).
- And if you look at the Micah 3 passage from the screenshot, you will see connection to Eli’s sons in 1 Samuel 2:12-21.
- Thematic connections in Scripture are extensive. Certainly we must be cognizant of keeping appropriate boundaries, not building a “Tower of Babel,” nor being overzealous as Elijah, nor crucifying others as did those who sent Yeshua/Jesus to Pilate. See:
⦁ John 19:11
11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.”
- We must place ourselves in stations of humility rather than hubris. And such a stance is as Yeshua/Jesus, an even greater indication of strength. And a tremendous indication of concentration of energy in passing along his sustenance, which is the fruit. Recall Yeshua/Jesus is the vine, his followers are the branches, and from those branches come the fruit, the sustenance. Not one of his bones is broken.
There is a “measure of” or “degree of” withholding/providing that brings strength. Too much provision makes us weak. Too much withholding makes us weak. YHWHmust manage correctly the balance of “nurturing” vs.”weaning” to give us the right amount of strength. And… how do we interfere with that balance by our interventions? You really should read pp.19-23 in the book “The Coddling of the American Mind,” that discusses this topic. One brilliant example Lukianoff and Haidt give is the well-documented medical study that made it clear that the widespread practice of avoidance of peanut products in schools actually led to a surge (great increase) in peanut allergies. Creation is a very complex design that our feeble minds are not able to fully comprehend. We keep searching, but there is certainly a lot of trial-and-error, during which there may be “collateral damage.” When go we stop trying to be like gods? How high does the Tower go?
There are numerous books that touch on the theme of this balance of providing and withholding. I have not read them all, but you could check into When Helping Hurts (Corbett & Fikkert); Toxic Charity (Lipton); Walking with the Poor (Myers); Helping Without Hurting in Church Benevolence (Corbett & Fikkert). Similar themes include the idea of “teach a man to fish rather than give him a fish,” of Heifer International and similar “healthy” organizations. I have quoted here before Lilla Watson, an aboriginal spokesperson, who said, “If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” In a nutshell, the idea of being my brother’s keeper is an idea not only of monetary “support” but the “weaning,” which is a an effort of spending time together, truly getting to know who the other person is, and realizing that relationships are reciprocal. As in Genesis 25:23, the greater serves the lesser. One who is a servant often has a greater insight into spiritual truth and serves to share that insight/wisdom. Certainly there is and idea of physical gleaning and of spiritual gleaning. We must learn to walk alongside one another, recognizing that we each have our strengths and our weaknesses; my strength can nurture your weakness; your strength can nurture my weakness. Mankind’s biggest failures most often comes in the way of hubris/arrogance when the one who is “rich” in monetary/physical ways fails to see that she/he is weak in other (especially spiritual) ways. We like to think we “have it all.” We become blinded to our own weaknesses. It, to me, comes down to this beautiful Hebrew word’s cognate permutation meaning – Impression השמר take heed; keeping cognate permutations (observe/discern and act/restrain action).
⦁ ▸ TaNaKh (20 results)
1. Bereshit 4:9 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וַיֹּאמֶר י־ְהֹוָה אֶל קַיִן אֵי הֶבֶל אָחִיךָ וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא יָדַעְתִּי הֲשֹׁמֵר אָחִי אָנֹכִי.
⦁ Genesis 4:9
9 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?”
2. Bereshit 24:6 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אַבְרָהָם הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ פֶּן תָּשִׁיב אֶת בְּנִי שָׁמָּה.
⦁ Genesis 24:6
6 Abraham said to him, “See to it that you do not take my son back there.
3. Bereshit 31:24 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וַיָּבֹא אֱלֹהִים אֶל לָבָן הָאֲרַמִּי בַּחֲלֹם הַלָּיְלָה וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ פֶּן תְּדַבֵּר עִם יַעֲקֹב מִטּוֹב עַד רָע.
4. Bereshit 31:29 (Mikraot Gedolot)
יֶשׁ לְאֵל יָדִי לַעֲשׂוֹת עִמָּכֶם רָע וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבִיכֶם אֶמֶשׁ אָמַר אֵלַי לֵאמֹר הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ מִדַּבֵּר עִם יַעֲקֹב מִטּוֹב עַד רָע.
⦁ Genesis 31:24-29
24 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night and said to him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”
25 And Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban with his kinsmen pitched tents in the hill country of Gilead. 26 And Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done, that you have tricked me and driven away my daughters like captives of the sword? 27 Why did you flee secretly and trick me, and did not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with mirth and songs, with tambourine and lyre? 28 And why did you not permit me to kiss my sons and my daughters farewell? Now you have done foolishly. 29 It is in my power to do you harm. But the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’
5. Shemot 10:28 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ פַרְעֹה לֵךְ מֵעָלָי הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ אַל תֹּסֶף רְאוֹת פָּנַי כִּי בְּיוֹם רְאֹתְךָ פָנַי תָּמוּת.
⦁ Exodus 10:28-29
28 Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me; take care never to see my face again, for on the day you see my face you shall die.” 29 Moses said, “As you say! I will not see your face again.”
6. Shemot 23:21 (Mikraot Gedolot)
הִשָּׁמֶר מִפָּנָיו וּשְׁמַע בְּקֹלוֹ אַל תַּמֵּר בּוֹ כִּי לֹא יִשָּׂא לְפִשְׁעֲכֶם כִּי שְׁמִי בְּקִרְבּוֹ.
⦁ Exodus 23:20-21
20 “Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. 21 Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.
7. Shemot 34:12 (Mikraot Gedolot)
הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ פֶּן תִּכְרֹת בְּרִית לְיוֹשֵׁב הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה בָּא עָלֶיהָ פֶּן יִהְיֶה לְמוֹקֵשׁ בְּקִרְבֶּךָ.
⦁ Exodus 34:12
12 Take care, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you go, lest it become a snare in your midst.
8. Devarim 4:9 (Mikraot Gedolot)
רַק הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ וּשְׁמֹר נַפְשְׁךָ מְאֹד פֶּן תִּשְׁכַּח אֶת הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר רָאוּ עֵינֶיךָ וּפֶן יָסוּרוּ מִלְּבָבְךָ כֹּל יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ וְהוֹדַעְתָּם לְבָנֶיךָ וְלִבְנֵי בָנֶיךָ.
⦁ Deuteronomy 4:9-10
9 “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children— 10 how on the day that you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, the LORD said to me, ‘Gather the people to me, that I may let them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children so.’
9. Devarim 6:12 (Mikraot Gedolot)
הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ פֶּן תִּשְׁכַּח אֶת י־ְהֹוָה אֲשֶׁר הוֹצִיאֲךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם מִבֵּית עֲבָדִים.
⦁ Deuteronomy 6:10-12
10 “And when the LORD your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, 11 and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, 12 then take care lest you forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
10. Devarim 8:11 (Mikraot Gedolot)
הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ פֶּן תִּשְׁכַּח אֶת י־ְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לְבִלְתִּי שְׁמֹר מִצְוֺתָיו וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו וְחֻקֹּתָיו אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם.
⦁ Deuteronomy 8:11-16
11 “Take care lest you forget the LORD your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, 12 lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, 13 and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, 15 who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, 16 who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end.
11. Devarim 12:13 (Mikraot Gedolot)
הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ פֶּן תַּעֲלֶה עֹלֹתֶיךָ בְּכׇל מָקוֹם אֲשֶׁר תִּרְאֶה.
12. Devarim 12:19 (Mikraot Gedolot)
הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ פֶּן תַּעֲזֹב אֶת הַלֵּוִי כׇּל יָמֶיךָ עַל אַדְמָתֶךָ.
⦁ Deuteronomy 12:13-19
13 Take care that you do not offer your burnt offerings at any place that you see, 14 but at the place that the LORD will choose in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I am commanding you.
15 “However, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your towns, as much as you desire, according to the blessing of the LORD your God that he has given you. The unclean and the clean may eat of it, as of the gazelle and as of the deer. 16 Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it out on the earth like water. 17 You may not eat within your towns the tithe of your grain or of your wine or of your oil, or the firstborn of your herd or of your flock, or any of your vow offerings that you vow, or your freewill offerings or the contribution that you present, 18 but you shall eat them before the LORD your God in the place that the LORD your God will choose, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, and the Levite who is within your towns. And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God in all that you undertake. 19 Take care that you do not neglect the Levite as long as you live in your land.
13. Devarim 12:30 (Mikraot Gedolot)
הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ פֶּן תִּנָּקֵשׁ אַחֲרֵיהֶם אַחֲרֵי הִשָּׁמְדָם מִפָּנֶיךָ וּפֶן תִּדְרֹשׁ לֵאלֹהֵיהֶם לֵאמֹר אֵיכָה יַעַבְדוּ הַגּוֹיִם הָאֵלֶּה אֶת אֱלֹהֵיהֶם וְאֶעֱשֶׂה כֵּן גַּם אָנִי.
⦁ Deuteronomy 12:29-30
29 “When the LORD your God cuts off before you the nations whom you go in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, 30 take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods?—that I also may do the same.’
14. Devarim 15:9 (Mikraot Gedolot)
הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ פֶּן יִהְיֶה דָבָר עִם לְבָבְךָ בְלִיַּעַל לֵאמֹר קָרְבָה שְׁנַת הַשֶּׁבַע שְׁנַת
⦁ Deuteronomy 15:9
9 Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the LORD against you, and you be guilty of sin.
15. Devarim 24:8 (Mikraot Gedolot)
הִשָּׁמֶר בְּנֶגַע הַצָּרַעַת לִשְׁמֹר מְאֹד וְלַעֲשׂוֹת כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר יוֹרוּ אֶתְכֶם הַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִם תִּשְׁמְרוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת.
⦁ Deuteronomy 24:8
8 “Take heed in an outbreak of leprosy, that you carefully observe and do according to all that the priests, the Levites, shall teach you; just as I commanded them, so you shall be careful to do.
16. Shemuel I 19:2 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וַיַּגֵּד יְהוֹנָתָן לְדָוִד לֵאמֹר מְבַקֵּשׁ שָׁאוּל אָבִי לַהֲמִיתֶךָ וְעַתָּה הִשָּׁמֶר נָא בַבֹּקֶר וְיָשַׁבְתָּ בַסֵּתֶר וְנַחְבֵּאתָ.
⦁ 1 Samuel 19:2
2 And Jonathan told David, “Saul my father seeks to kill you. Therefore be on your guard in the morning. Stay in a secret place and hide yourself.
17. Melakhim II 6:9 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וַיִּשְׁלַח אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים אֶל מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר הִשָּׁמֶר מֵעֲבֹר הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה כִּי שָׁם אֲרָם נְחִתִּים.
⦁ 2 Kings 6:9
9 And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are coming down there.”
18. Yeshayahu 7:4 (Mikraot Gedolot)
וְאָמַרְתָּ אֵלָיו הִשָּׁמֵר וְהַשְׁקֵט אַל תִּירָא וּלְבָבְךָ אַל יֵרַךְ מִשְּׁנֵי זַנְבוֹת הָאוּדִים הָעֲשֵׁנִים הָאֵלֶּה בׇּחֳרִי אַף רְצִין וַאֲרָם וּבֶן רְמַלְיָהוּ.
⦁ Isaiah 7:4
4 And say to him, ‘Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah.
19. Tehillim 146:6 (Mikraot Gedolot)
עֹשֶׂה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ אֶת הַיָּם וְאֶת כׇּל אֲשֶׁר בָּם הַשֹּׁמֵר אֱמֶת לְעוֹלָם.
⦁ Psalms 146:5-7
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD his God,
6 making heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
keeping faith forever;
7 executing justice for the oppressed,
giving food to the hungry.
The LORD sets the prisoners free;
20. Iyyov 36:21 (Mikraot Gedolot)
הִשָּׁמֶר אַל תֵּפֶן אֶל אָוֶן כִּי עַל זֶה בָּחַרְתָּ מֵעֹנִי.
⦁ Job 36:21
21 Take care; do not turn to iniquity,
for this you have chosen rather than affliction.
There have been many experiences in my own life, and experiences in the lives of my friends and family, that “teach” regarding this “question:” Just what is “the right measure” or “the right degree” of nurturing vs. weaning? What is “the right measure” or “the right degree” of “self-reliance?” We are designed for some degree of interdependence; community and “brotherhood” are important parts of the equation. See this discussion between Beth (Reisfeld) Lesch and her associate Malka Aleweis. What is the importance of faith? The video is slightly over an hour. If you need to shorten it, you could begin at about minute 14 when the pertinent argument begins. There is a supportive relationship. And are described in Scripture numerous times that YHWH serves as supportive mother in addition to the fatherly figure.
🤔 ?????
A few notes re: the video:
Har Sinai is Mount Sinai. Shemot is Exodus. VaYikra is Leviticus. And BaMidbar is Numbers. Moshe is Moses. Kvetch, you can probably guess from the discussion, means to complain or gripe. “Mahn” is manna. Mitzrayim is Egypt. “Bat Paroh” is the daughter of Pharaoh.
Around 3 months, babies become more social…
“Pterodactyl phase”
Mom puts baby in Nile – can’t bear to watch??
Compassion turning into action – ? ~Num 11:7 –
How long nurse? “He grew…”
But there is an anticipated end-point – taken away
Manna – another source…
Manna food from Heaven – mother’s milk…
“Boring” vs. diversity/smorgasbord
“Language of breast” – Rashi
Confidence you can meet my needs = Faith
Open mouth and accept milk. God creates opportunities to have relationship.
Teaches to have faith.
So-called “ethical decisions” from my training in medical research – prolonging life – for example, the Karen Ann Quinlan “case”… just because we “can” do something doesn’t necessarily mean we “should” do something… 🤔🤔🤔
AND… consider physical vs. spiritual planes. To what extent is this life on earth preparing us for the life on the next plane? We have the Exodus that gives us, potentially, an image of life on earth in preparation for the land flowing with milk and honey. But the promised land was still a place where the Hebrew people had to fight for their territory. How did the wilderness prepare for that confrontation? How does “earth school” prepare us for the “confrontation” of the afterlife? Or, perhaps it is not a “confrontation” at all. Perhaps it is simply preparing us for the immensity of who YHWH is. How can we possibly understand what unconditional love is all about? The model here on earth must be the relationship of a parent to a child. And then we get back to nurturing versus weaning. YHWH is our strength and our shield. YHWH provides so abundantly for us.
“Milk and Honey” – just what does it REALLY mean? Most commentators say it means “abundance.” Certainly it should be somewhere on the continuum of (arouse/subdue) ↔︎ (express/restrain).
Impression אלף thousand בעל Baal; master עול iniquity חלב milk הבל lack value עלףfaint cognate permutations (arouse/subdue)
Impression שפט create order and harmony שפת establish פשת split open דבשhoney cognate permutations (instill/purge) / (express/restrain)
⦁ Exodus 3:8
8 and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing (h2100. זוּב zûḇ) with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
We have spoken previously about the listed nations. See the Discussion section, post 43. All Those Nations.
- This is a different verb from the “standard” flowing of a river or stream. There are eight occurrences of h2100. זוּב zûḇ plus h3068. יְהוָֹה YHWH in TaNaKH. Each of them is in this context of “milk and honey.” I leave it to the reader to discern what that indicates.
Impression שוב turn back בוש disillusion/disappoint זוב flow cognate permutations(accept/reject)
Just what IS the right measure of “goodness??”
⦁ Isaiah 42:1-4
1 “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold,
My Elect One in whom My soul delights!
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
2 He will not cry out, nor raise His voice,
Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.
3 A bruised (h7533. רָצַץ râṣaṣ) reed (h7070. קָנֶה qâneh) He will not break,
And a faintly burning (h3544. כֵּהֶה ḵêheh) flax (h6594. פִּשְׁתָּה p̱išṯâ) He will not quench;
He will faithfully bring forth justice.
4 He will not grow faint nor be discouraged,
Til He has established justice in the earth;
And the coastlands shall wait for His law.”
- It is very important to recognize that the meaning indicated in this group השמרis twofold, first one must “notice” and then one must act based upon what one has recognized/discerned. Hopefully we will in the future reveal much more about this very important word השמר.
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These are messages from the Teacher:
These are, in my opinion (feel very free to accept or reject), examples of Yeshua/Jesus using hyperbole. I encourage you to go back to the first section of the website, Discussion, and read in the post 12. Levels of Meaning. Especially read a commentary by Anna Wierzbicka from her 2014 book, Imprisoned in English, The Hazards of English as a Default Language, where she quotes both from her earlier scholarly article (2004) and also from a scholarly article by Waclaw Hryniewicz (2012). This is a partial quote from that discussion, but you will do well to read the entirety of post 12. Levels of Meaning.
“Any doctrine of the infallibility of the letter of the Bible leads to insurmountable difficulties, because it ignores their proper cultural content. The authors of the Books of the Bible multiplied metaphors, paradoxes and antinomies; they used dramatic expressions, in order to impress the reader and the hearer ever so strongly, so that people could feel what those authors actually wanted to say. Such modern values as accuracy, logical formulation, consistency, absence of contradictions and exaggerations, calm and fair reasoning, concern for precise scientific information were unknown to them. One should not take contradictions at their face value or stop at the outer surface of the formulations.”
In our own earlier discussions on LogAndSpeck, we have repeatedly shown the disdain shown by YHWH of “extremes” or “superlatives.” Such become “idols,” and of course idols are distinctly anti-YHWH. Again, this is why, for example, in my personal literal interpretations, I leave the Hebrew word כל untranslated where we see the word “all.” I have noted a more accurate way of looking at כל is “the measure of striving to attain.” Rather than awkwardly inserting this long phrase each time it occurs, I simply leave כל; please recognize the English “all” as a superlative, an idol. And those of you who know me personally may chuckle at the irony in such a statement from this writer who tends more toward the OCD end of the spectrum…
YHWH knows the nature of mankind האדם – “from his youth” – yet he loves us and forgives us… We are his children. Not only does he not expect perfection of us, he discourages us from striving for perfection, its becoming an idol. See Noah “in his generation.”
⦁ Genesis 8:21-22 ESV
21 And when the LORD יהוה smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD יהוה said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man האדם, for the intention of man’s האדם heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. 22 While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”
⦁ Genesis 6:9 ESV
9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.
- Yeshua/Jesus even makes the effort to point out “the days of Noah” so we do not miss this important point:
⦁ Luke 17:26-27 ESV
26 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
No doubt this writing will get me crucified, but I truly believe YHWH sent these tidings בשּׂר to be shared. Read YHWH’s and the teachings of Yeshua/Jesus closely, in light of that commentary above, which is to me another witness to a conclusion I had already drawn. Later writers of the Greek Scriptures (again, only my opinion. Think for yourself.) might have misunderstood the use of hyperbole and taken it for face value. We have plenty of examples in Scripture itself that people had misinterpreted earlier Scripture. So, if you look back much earlier (posts 04. and 05. in the Discussion section) recognize that the “Analogy of Faith,” Scripture interpreting Scripture, must needs include the understanding that “apparent contradictions” are red flags to “pay attention!”
Ⓒ Copyright Philip E. Gates; LogAndSpeck.com, February 2026. Please cite if you use this material.
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