Shoftim: The Crystal Clarity of the Prophetic Word
Summary
The Crystal Clarity of the Prophetic Word Deuteronomy 16;18-21;9
We all have an innate desire to know what is coming, and sometimes we are tempted to control the outcome. Parashat Shoftim confronts that desire by contrasting the Occult practices of the nations to see the future with Israel’s call which is unique — to be tamim: completely loyal to HaShem. Torah does not give Israel a “crystal ball.” It teaches Israel whom to trust, how to recognize the prophetic word, and whom to hear when HaShem has spoken.
Moshe warns Israel not to learn the practices of the nations. (Deuteronomy18:9). That word learn is the same root as “talmid”, disciple. We are not just forbidden to practice certain acts; we're warned against becoming a certain kind of student, because what we apprentice ourselves to eventually forms us.
The other word we want to remember is, Tamim—against divination. Torah doesn't offer a better technique for reading the future — it offers a different posture that demands wholehearted loyalty (18;13). Rashi wrote, “don't inquire after tomorrow; receive what comes with a whole heart.” Rather than just accepting life with a trusting heart, I often want that crystal ball. I want organized plans built to insulate me from uncertainty rather than to walk faithfully through it.
In Deuteronomy 18;22 Moses taught that the test of a true prophet is whether or not his prophecy comes to pass. We see this clearly illustrated in Jeremiah 28. Chananya promises shalom to the people—tells them everything is going to be fine. But Jeremiah preaches teshuva (to repent, to turn away from sin--and toward God) and warns of judgment. Chananya's word failed, and he died that year. The lesson? A warning of calamity can be averted by repentance/turning, but a promised “good” must come to pass — HaShem doesn't turn from good He's promised.
In 18;15, Moses prophesies of "a prophet like me." Likewise, Yeshua prophesied good — his own resurrection — and it came to pass. When it comes to the prophetic word, Jewish interpretation recognizes an important distinction: threatened judgment may not come to pass because people can repent — make teshuvah. But promised good must prove trustworthy. Why? Because HaShem’s character will never allow him to “turn” from doing good.
The risen Yeshua greets his talmidim, "Shalom aleikhem," and breathes on them, giving the Ruach (John 20;21–22). In Acts 3;22 as Peter (Kefa) later proclaims the fulfillment of Moses prophecy in this act. The good promised by Chananya was false. It failed. But the good promised by Yeshua held. Therefore, as Moses said, “Eilav tishma'un”— “listen to him.”
RECALL: Torah confronts the age-old desire to know or control the future. How does that desire to peer through a crystal ball play out in my life?
REFLECT: I am shaped by what I study. Do I really trust that a promise of good, once made in HaShem's name, cannot fail?
RESPOND: The "good" that God has promised in Yeshua has come to pass. The Torah tells us, “Listen to Him.” The disciple Thomas declared, “Unless I see the nail prints in His hands…I will never believe!” Yeshua stood before Thomas and told him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed? Blessed are the ones who have not seen and yet have believed!” In what ways am I like Thomas? Am I willing to trust the Scriptures that speak of Him and reach out in faith to hold the nail scarred hand of Messiah?
Transcript(from the video captions)
Shabbat Shalom everybody and so good to see all of you today. So glad you're in God's house. What an amazing time in the month of Elul as we step in a perfect time for us to be together, all of us together today. And um just a reminder, it was spoken of in the announcements, but that next week, next Saturday, we'll be having the uh parent-teacher conference for our Shabbat school program. And I'm looking forward to to meeting some of you or talking with with with some of you as well cuz we have some new things in store this year. We have an amazing lineup of of teachers and we have uh a great tradition that we're moving forward. Oh, thank you so much. But a great tradition we're moving forward um from last year as well. So, let's pray. We mean to Shabbat Shamayim we bless and we sanctify your name. We exalt you. We thank you so much for this time. We thank you for your word. We thank you for your instruction on how that we can receive you. We thank you for that, Lord. You're our life. And just pray that you guide us today in every way as we give this all to you in Yeshua's name, I pray.
Amen. Well, Shabbat Shalom. Again, so good to see all of you today. So awesome to see your faces. Love to see your faces. Most of you know that I worked in corporate finance for for a couple decades, for a long time. In all those years of working in corporate finance, there was a common phrase I heard a lot. And that phrase was something that made me a bit uneasy, especially as the years progressed. And it went like this. If I had a crystal ball You You heard that before? Or I don't have a crystal ball, but See, working in corporate finance, we're doing forecasting. And that would be the phrase or the metaphor that would come up. Any Harry Potter fans in the house? Oh, get some hair Harry Potter muck locate going. Right? >> [laughter] >> Controversy, right? No. Okay, right. Well, now you now you know the image, right? Now you know the image. Well, crystal balls have become so embedded in pop culture, we have domesticated the image. It's been circumscribed to the world of fantasy. Okay, fair enough. The Wizard of Oz, you think about like the Wicked Witch, right? With the the crystal ball.
Harry Potter, I'm not a big Harry Potter fan, I'll be honest with you, but I know a lot of people are. Seeing what can't ordinarily be seen. Peering beyond the present into the future. That's what it is, right? The practice itself behind the image has not disappeared. It's a human longing to see the future. To know the future. To control the future. And to prepare that for the future. Once we bought a house, and the day we moved in, we discovered that the sellers had left these crates behind. And among them, a box of tarot cards. I contacted the realtor. The stuff has to go immediately. The crates were removed that same day. Weeks later, we found Jewish materials, day school materials in the drawers of the house tucked away. And then we noticed the marks of a mezuzah that was there that had been affixed on the door frame. I was dis- I was disturbed. A bit surprised. Listen to what Mosheh tells Israel this week. Lo tilmad lasot b- avot hagoyim hahem. Do not learn to practice the abominations of those nations. Syncretism. But look at the word here. The word tilmad tilmad is the same Hebrew root for
talmid. Disciple. A disciple. A student. Don't become a disciple or a student of those nations who practice those abominable things. Because the way we learn to follow eventually begins to form us. Becomes our identity eventually. And Hashem says that these spiritual practices, although they are are there in prevalence, they are not for you. They are not for us. Divination, sorcery, you know the list. Mediums, consulting the dead. These are not for us. Because when the boundaries become blurred, we encounter what is called again syncretism. The blending of practices of different religions together. Or spiritual systems. We see that today and that's what sometimes we encounter in the world. Even within our own faith. But our parashah today is going to make this crystal clear.
Underneath these practices is something deeply human. Something we all wrestle with. And again, it's the idea of how can I know? How am I supposed to know if this is the right job to take? If this is the right house to buy? If this is the right person to marry? What school I'm supposed to go to? What am I supposed to do with my Oh, you get the point. But the point And those are still good questions to ask. But are we controlling outcomes? Because when the desire to control the outcome sets in, well, then that could become one's crystal ball. All right, Rabbi Shai Held, great scholar, he observes that the desire to consult diviners is rooted precisely there in the universal human desire to know the future and in some ways to control it. Torah is not trading one technique for controlling tomorrow for another. You see? It's offering something completely different. Rather, it says this, "Tamim tiye im adonai elohecha." You must be completely loyal to Hashem your God. Which say perfect, but it means completely loyal. Rashi chimes in. He says, "Don't inquire about the future. Instead, follow Hashem
with a faithful heart or a whole heart. And then whatever it comes upon you, receive it with gladness and joy." Why? Because if you're a tamim of Hashem, then whatever comes upon you is from Hashem. Torah is telling us to trust Hashem in all of our ways. Lean not on our own understanding. Sometimes we have to realize that trusting Hashem today is much more important than knowing tomorrow. As the Torah tells us, this is the way of a Jew. This is the way of a Talmud of a Yeshua. But what happens when identity fails to form? I grew up with somebody like that. Fully Jewish, yet wholly lost. Yeah, that's an image, right? Not knowing who they are, unaware of the calling and vocation of the Jewish people. What should have become familiar became foreign. What should have prohibited became pragmatic. What was sanctified became sacrilegious. As that identity never formed, eventually alternative spiritual practices filled the spaces that Jewish education and formation was supposed to fill, but never had an opportunity to fill. And we wonder how some or we got there. Well, there you go. That's one way
not to go. But this is why Messianic Jewish education must become a priority for us at Sha'arei Shalom, but also for our whole entire movement. We are not merely feeding information, but rather we are forming souls and forging character and identity. From our Shabbat school here to Ashreinu, we're helping to form this crystal-clear identity. And that's how it comes through. We're teaching our children what is not for them or not for us. We show them and model who we are and whom we belong to and whom we should listen to. And this is really important. We cannot outsource that to the world. That's something we want to take responsibility for, but we have resources, utilize the resources and consider it a very very viable eternal investment. So now listen carefully to Moshiach here. L ma'onim v'el kotsmim yishm'u v'el halohein, he says. Says this, they, meaning those nations, listen to soothsayers and fortune-tellers, but you not so. No, off-limits, out of bounds. Right? Yishm'u, listen. They listen, but you you not so. You listen to the prophet that Hashem will raise up. A prophet that Hashem will raise up,
raising up. Think about that image, right? At Horeb it all starts for us. We heard the voice of Hashem through the fire, but we couldn't bear it. It was overwhelming, the power of God. So we asked Moshiach, "You hear and then you tell us what Hashem says." And that becomes the framework of Israel. Hashem approves. What they said is good. And he says, but but a naughty the word I the thief. I will put my words in his mouth. So, those nations, they receive their so-called divine revelation through all those other methods, but we receive the divine word through the prophet whom God will put his words in their mouth. There it is. That's prophecy. Hashem gives the word, the prophet speaks the word. But anyone can claim Hashem told me. God told me. So, how are we supposed to know? How were they and how are we supposed to distinguish the prophetic word from the presumptuous word? And we go to the word 18:22. I share with the bear Hanavi Basham Adonai the lonely Had a bear below Yavo. When a prophet speaks in Adonai's name and the word does not happen or come true, then that's a word that Hashem has
indeed spoken. Well, wait a minute here. Are you sure? I don't have a whole lifetime. Well, you maybe I do. How many generations do I have? What if it doesn't come to pass for 10 Oh, we're not talking about that. 10 generations, whatever. Okay. The prophet speaks. It happens or it doesn't happen. Except when a prophet announces judgment. Why? Because it's not predestination. It's not fatalistic. The people can still turn. One's hearts can turn. The people can repent and God can relent. And that changes everything. In 40 days Nineveh will be overthrown, the prophet Jonah said. But it didn't happen. Why? Because the people in that generation repented from the least of them to the greatest. Now we are in a lull language, aren't we? We're in a lull now. And we have it. Was Jonah a false prophet? No. So we have to do some interpretation, don't we? But what happens if a prophet pronounces good or shalom in the name of Hashem? That takes us back to a story. Jeremiah 28. Before the destruction of the first temple, two nevi'im, prophets, stood opposed to each other. Hananiah. I don't like to say that name because my my son is that
It's not that one, okay. So, yeah, this is a different Hananiah. Two nevi'im stood opposed to each other. Hananiah prophesied shalom. Yirmiyahu, Jeremiah, prophesied destruction. Hananiah promised, within two years, Hashem will break the yoke of Babel and Nebuchadnezzar. The exiled king, Yekhonya, Ben Yehoyakim, he will be restored to his throne. Instead of that Zedekiah figure, who was a puppet king, the sacred sacred temple will be restored. The vessels will be brought back. It will be shalom, said. You're fine. Nothing needs to change. Keep doing what you're doing. Hananiah said. Meanwhile, Yirmeyahu warns, "Submit to Babylon. Judgment is coming. Turn. Teshuvah. Two prophets opposed to each other. Both claiming to speak in the name of Hashem. Which one will you listen to? Devarim asks us that question, and Yirmeyahu answers this. Hanavi Asher venave lashalom. As for the prophet who speaks shalom, meaning good, when the word of that prophet comes true, then it will be known that Adonai has truly shalach, sent that prophet. Why does Yirmeyahu, Jeremiah, emphasize shalom as the test of the true prophet
instead of judgment? Well, Midrash Tanhuma develops the distinction right here. And the Rambam, Maimonides, eventually codifies this as they look through the lens of the prophet Jeremiah looking back to Deuteronomy and thinking about history. Hashem may turn and relent from judgment. He may do a yeshuv, a turning. But, when a prophet prophesies shalom or good in the name of Hashem, Hashem's promise must come to pass. Why? Because Hashem can't relent from doing good. It's in his character to do good. So, if a prophet says something good is going to happen, it must come to pass because Hashem if he said it, if he has decreed it, it will come to pass. It's not based on a human response. Cuz Hashem has decreed it. And it will be it. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks brings all this together for us, all these pieces. A prophet isn't merely predicting an oracle and an inevitable future. The prophet warns so that the future can change. This is the the beauty of it all is that the prophets, as difficult as they were to deal with in the days of Israel, they were still there to provoke a turning in the hearts of
the people. That was their their role, their function within their whole charismatic framework as they brought the people closer to God. It's tempting to. The prophet warns so that the future can change. And this is the the thought in the shofar that we hear at Elul. The same one. If the people turn, and judgment never comes, then the prophecy itself can fail. It could fall to the ground. Because Hashem himself will take it and turn it. He could tear up that decree of judgment just like that. That's Hashem. That's our God. He gives us the choice. So, now the prophetic test becomes exceedingly crystal clear. Right? Much more clear. A warning may accomplish its purpose by not coming to pass. Wow. Think about that for a moment. A prophecy that falls to the ground accomplish it accomplishes its purpose when people repent. That's the idea. But when good is prophesied in the name of Hashem, that promise good must and it will come to pass. Hananiah's word failed and he died in the seventh month that same year, 2 months later in the month of Tishrei is when he passed away. And we know Yirmiyahu made it all the
way in. It's probably. So, we return to Moshe's promise here. Hashem will raise up a prophet like me. What happens when we take that Devarim test and we apply it to Yeshua? Is the question. Yeshua came forward and he also called his entire generation to teshuvah to repent and turn towards God. He prophesied the destruction of the temple and it came to pass. But neither of those are good nor shalom. The destruction of the temple is a calamity. And yet also he predicted his own death but that he would rise on the third day. A promise of good. Shalom. There it is. And then he promised that the Ruach Hakodesh, the Holy Spirit, would be sent next. And what does our Besorah say this week? After Yeshua's death, his talmidim, his followers, are locked behind closed doors, afraid. And Toma, ah, Thomas refuses to believe the good news. The good. And then Yeshua stands among them alive, raised up, and he says, "Shalom aleichem." Shalom. Yeshua repeated, "Just as the Father sent me, I myself am sending you." There's the shaliach, the agent, is sending his agents. Having said this, he breathed on them
and said to them, "Receive the Ruach Hakodesh." Giving them great authority. Good and shalom. Shalom aleichem. Just as Jeremiah said. The promised good came to pass. And then the Ruach comes upon all of them in Yerushalayim. Next. And filled with the Ruach Hakodesh, Kefa proclaims this Besorah. Teshuvah, return. Repent. Messiah is appointed for you. And And he quotes this scripture right here. Adonai will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You are to listen to everything that he tells you. So, Devarim gives us the test. Yermiyahu interprets it. Our Jewish tradition, our rabbinical framework gives us the frame to how to see it and how to really understand the difference of one who is sent and one who is not. If the prophet promises good and that good comes to pass, then there's only one thing left to do and that is this. A lot tishmu'un. Listen to him.
So, as we think about this word today and in the month of Elul of all times, it's a great time to turn that introspection on and remember that God has given us every good promise from heaven. And it comes right down to us right now. The opportunity to receive the Ruach Kodesh is your choice. The opportunity to listen to the prophet that Hashem raised up. He raised him up from the dead. Is Kefa's interpretation of this particular Torah is yours today. Into the month of Elul knowing that our king is fully accessible right now right in this place. We know his presence. We hear his voice. And it's that time to let go of everything that is hindering you from hearing his voice. Let's pray. Avenu Shebasha Mayim, we bless and sanctify you. We thank you so much for your word. We thank you for the prophets, the sons of the prophets. We thank you for our sages. We thank you for our great tradition. We thank you for truth. And that through all of it we receive divine truth. We thank you for the Ruach Hakodesh. Today that we can prophesy according to your word. According to your purpose. According to
to your framework. And your will. And I pray that you prepare us for that now. Lord, that we would take this serious into the month of Elul and blessing each other all the way through it, Lord, and encouraging each other. We pray all this today in the name of Yeshua. And everybody says Shabbat Shalom.