Pastor Buddy’s Blog

The wisdom of their wise men will perish…

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Journal,

Betty and I will? be attending a ’survivor luncheon’ tomorrow, April 14th. The invitation reads, “Please join the American Cancer Society Relay For Life survivor’s luncheon and share your strength with others who are facing the journey through cancer.”

Sponsers are? Hafez Halawani, M.D. (my doctor), Lawrence P. Menache, M.D., Ulla Ule, M.D., Christus Cabrini Cabrini Cancer Center.

Believe they? have a local survivor who will? share their story. Not sure if I’ll be asked to say? anything. (Probably not.) It will be a pleasure for Betty and me just to be a part of what’s going on.

I shared earlier that my last PET scan shows no lymphoma detected. To complete the program I? have two chemo treatments left; one next Thursday and the last one on May 10th. Need one more? PET scan as a point of reference. After that I’ll have periodic checkups simply as followup precautions.

It’s getting closer to a great change for Betty and myself. How I look forward to being in services at Christian Challenge. There is nothing like congregational worship and listening to the Word of the Lord taught.? I don’t see how people can miss services for little reason at all.

What’s for the future —

I look forward to? a new Shepherd’s Heart class. Had to short-change? my last students due to my journey of lymphoma. Hopefully I’ll? pick up my former students plus a few more. Actually the Shepherd’s Heart class seems to do? better with a? group of from six to twelve students.

As for my future work with the ministry,? I could not be more? pleased than I am with Nathan’s leadership and the direction? Christian Challenge is taking. That is certainly not going to change. Time? and need will determine? what I should be doing with the ministry.?

My plans are simply to? be an ‘evangelism arm’? for? Christian Challenge.? Betty and I? will? minister out? as the opportunities present themselves.

And of course in my semi-retired status I plan to continue? my fishing ventures.?

What about ‘the wisdom of their wise men will perish’?

This statement comes from Isaiah 29:14, where the Lord says, “Therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; and the wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the discernment of their discernment will be concealed.”

The ‘wise men’ reference is? to the leadership of the Jewish peoples? under? their Rabbis and their doctors who? took the forefront of Judaism after the rejection of Jesus Christ, and thereby after the destruction of the temple in 70 a.d. A new Judiasm was created out of the ashes of the temple.

In the rejection of Jesus there was a rejection of God’s true Light. Even Maimonides the great Jewish theologian contributes the afore passage with how Judaism became ignorant and unlearned. (More Nevochim, par. 2.c11.p. 212)

The apostle Paul said, “For the word [message] of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God … Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” (Cf. 1Co1:18-20 nasb.)

Over the years I’ve been a great student of the Hebraics of the Christian faith. During these years I’ve also studied Judaism in its many facets. I find it no? wonder that most Jews today are non-practicing and pay little to no attention to the vast volumns of Talmudic literature and? to the mystics of the Kaballa.

Here is a breakdown of Judaism in Israel.? Only 5% define themselves as Haredim (Ultra-orthodox), 12% see themselves as religious, 35% as traditionalist (not adhering to Jewish law), 43% as secular, and 3% non classified.

Here is a further breakdown:

According to a 2004 survey commissioned by the BBC, 15% of those in Israel do not believe in God. According to Yuchtman-Ya’ar (2003), 54% of Israelis identify themselves as “secular.” According to Dashefsky et al (2003), 41% of Israelis identify themselves as “not religious.” According to Kedem (1995), 31% of Israelis do not believe in God, with an additional 6% choosing “don’t know,” for a total of 37% being atheist or agnostic.

There are? other startling statistics concerning Jews in Israel: Only 65% believe in God and as we see with the foregoing? statistics up to 37% Jews in Israel identify themselves as agnostics or athiests.

There is no question that the? wisdom of their wise men is perishing.?

But what about the statement, “Therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous.”

I believe the ‘wondrously marvelous’ has to do with Jesus Christ.

Some years ago I took the Jerusalem Post on a weekly basis. There was an ad that always caught my attention. It was placed by a rabbi who was very much anti-Christian and especially anti-missionary. But it always amazed me how he came across in his ad. I did not see him as very wise at all.

The ad said something like this (a near quote): “What are they doing right that we are doing wrong. Why have more Jews converted to Christianity in the last 19 years than in the last 1900 years.”

Now his objective was to get people to buy his anti-missionary tapes. However, if I were a Jew reading his ad, I’d ask myself the question, “Why indeed have more Jews converted to Christianity?”

See the issue? The wisdom of their wise men could hold nothing for the true need of the Jewish soul. Their need can only met when they find Jesus Christ in a personal way. And, of course, this is what the Bible says is going to happen.

I quote from Zechariah 12:9,10:

“And in that day I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him [Jesus Messiah], as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him [Jesus] like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.”

The more I study Jewish literature the more I realize? why they are so? empty and why they are becoming more and more secular. At the same time I also know why more and more Jews are turning to Jesus. The greatest moment is yet to come.

A lesson on faith…

Faith? by its very nature is neither? rational or even logical. True faith is intuitive. This is why so many? people keep searching for reality.? When they don’t find it? in religion they turn to other things. This is? a primary? reason for the secularism, the agnosticism, and even athieism with the Jews.

Such is the case for humanity at large. Genuine rest for the soul can only be found in a faith union with? Jesus Christ. This is why Augistine prayed, “My heart, O Lord, does not rest, until it rests in Thee.”

There is an empty space in the heart of every human. The sage calls this space, “eternity in their heart.” (Eccl3:11 nasb.) Only when we meet the Son of God can this space be filled. It was made for Him.

Well — I know people who are still searching. They go from one ’strange’ teaching to another, and from one ‘odd’ religion to another. It is like the song that says, ‘When will they ever learn.’

Just some things to? think about.

Blessings,

Buddy

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