Behold, It Was Very Good…

Bereshith (Gen) 1:31

31        And Elohiym saw every thing that He had made and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

When the Creator had finished making everything, including us, He not only said it was good, but very good.

Were we created to ‘be good’? Were we created to love one another? Were we created to live peacefully with one another without strife?

As we read in Tanakh, we find war, strife, deceit and hatred running rampant across the pages. Was this our Maker’s intent or has something gone seriously wrong?

Devariym describes Ya’acov (Yisrael) as the ‘apple of YHWH’s eye’. In the vernacular of today that might read ‘His pride and joy’ even ‘His pet’’

Devariym (Deut) 32:9-10

9          For YHWH's portion is His people; Ya’acov is the lot of His inheritance.
10        He found him in a desert land, and in the howling, empty wilderness; He led him about, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye.

Later Melekh David asks to be kept as the apple of YHWH’s eye and under His protection.

Tehillim (Ps) 17:8

8          Keep me as the apple of the eye and hide me under the shadow of Your wings,

Although the words are quite poetic, we can see plainly that David was asking YHWH to ‘keep an eye on him and protect him as a bird does her chicks’.

ZecharYah tells the faithful of the future that any who harmed them would answer to YHWH and that Tsiyown would be surrounded as though by a firewall for protection.

ZecharYah (Zech) 2:7-8

7          Deliver yourself, O Tsiyown, you that dwells with the daughter of Babylon (mixed confusion).
8          For this is what YHWH Tsavaowt says; After the glory He has sent me to the nations which spoiled you: for he that touches you touches the apple of His eye.

Later, we read where David tells us how sweet and good it is to live in peace and unity with our brothers.

Tehillim (Ps) 133:1-3

1          Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
2          It is like the precious ointment upon the head that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;
3          As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Tsiyown: for there YHWH commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

This presents such a beautiful picture of peace and blessing, but one which, seemingly, is seldom real.  

Throughout TN’K, we find war, strife and hatred and just as it is today, peace is not achieved without all sides playing by the same rules, it seems. One side seeks peace and stops fighting only to be attacked by the other side or those who were not involved at all decide both sides are weakened and see it as a good time to take over both sides.

Friends, who came to love one another as brothers that we might look at, were David and Yownathan [Jonathan] (King Shaul’s son).

You may remember that King Shaul had been troubled by an ‘evil spirit’ sent by YHWH, whatever we may see that to be. Nevertheless, Shaul was very troubled and could not rest.

Suggestions were made that a man who was skilled in playing a harp be found to play and quiet Shauls' troubled mind. David was brought to the King and played for him and Shaul’s mind was at rest.

Later when David slew the Pelishtiy Golyath , Yownathan and David met and a great love grew between them. We will pick up this story in Shemuel Alef.

Shemuel Alef (1 Sam) 18:1-4

1          And it happened, when he had made an end of speaking to Shaul, that the soul of Yownathan and the soul of David were bound together and Yownathan loved him as his own soul.
2          And Shaul took David that day and would not let him go home to his father's house anymore.
3          Then Yownathan and David made a covenant because he loved him as his own soul.
4          And Yownathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.

Shaul came to hate and fear David because of David’s strength in battle and the growing love of the people for him. Perhaps Shaul knew that YHWH had chosen David to replace him as king.

Shemuel Alef (1 Sam) 19:1-12

1          And Shaul spoke to Yownathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David.
2          But Yownathan Shauls' son loved David: and Yownathan told David, saying, Shaul my father seeks to kill you, so please take care of yourself until the morning and hide in a secret place
3          And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will talk with my father concerning you and what I see, I will tell you.
4          And Yownathan spoke good of David to Shaul his father, and said to him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he has not sinned against you, and because his works have been very good toward you
5          For he took his life in his hand, and killed the Pelishtiy, and YHWH brought about a great salvation for all Yisrael.  You saw it and rejoiced, so will you now sin against innocent blood and slay David without a cause?
6          And Shaul listened to the voice of Yownathan and swore, As YHWH lives, he shall not be slain.
7          And Yownathan called David, and Yownathan told him all those things. And Yownathan brought David to Shaul, and he was in his presence, as in times past.
8          And there was war again: and David went out and fought against the Pelishtiy and slew them with a great slaughter; and they fled from him.

This should have been the end of that but if we continue, we find:

9          And the ‘evil spirit’ from YHWH was upon Shaul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand and David played the harp for him.
10        And Shaul tried to run David through and pin him to the wall with the javelin; but he slipped away out of Shauls presence as Shaul speared the javelin into the wall: and David fled and escaped that night.
11        Shaul also sent messengers to David's house, to watch him and to slay him in the morning but Michal David's wife told him, "If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you shall be dead."
12        So Michal let David down through a window: and he went, and fled, and escaped.

A little further with this story… to the time when Yownathan and Shaul have been killed:

Shemuel Bet (2 Sam) 1:12-17

12        And they mourned, wept, and fasted until the evening, for Shaul and for Yownathan his son and for the people of YHWH and for the house of Yisrael because they had fallen by the sword.
13        And David said to the young man that told him, Who are you? And he answered; I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite.
14        And David said to him, How is it that you were not afraid to stretch forth your hand and destroy YHWH's anointed?
15        And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near and take his life and the young man did so.
16        And David said concerning the Amalekite, Your blood is upon your own head; for you have testified from your own lips against yourself, saying, I have slain YHWH's anointed.
17        And David lamented over Shaul and over Yownathan his son:

We can see in this one example that even when trying to live in peace with others, even those who are also ‘anointed’ as in the two men, David and Shaul, it is sometimes impossible.

David, on several occasions, had opportunity to take Shaul’s life and would have made the earth safer for him self, by doing so, but refused to even touch one who had been anointed by order of YHWH.

Doing this did not make it safer for David, his army or perhaps even B’nei Yisrael.

So what is the answer?

May we compromise as long as that compromise does not put us in opposition to YHWH?

But what of:

Shemot (Exod) 23:32-33

32        You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.
33        They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me: for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.

Shemot (Exod) 34:12-15

12        Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you got, lest it be for a snare in the midst of you:
13        But you shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves:
14        For you shall worship no other god: for YHWH, who is jealous for His name is a jealous Elohiym:
15        Lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and they go a whoring after their gods and do sacrifices to their gods and one of them call you and you eat of his sacrifice; (Does this include eating food that has been ‘blessed’ in the name of a false ‘god’?)

Divrei Yamim Bet 19:1-2

1          And Yehoshaphat the king of Yahudah returned to his house in peace to Yerushalayim.
2          And Yehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Yehoshaphat, Should you help the ungodly and love them that hate YHWH? Therefore is wrath upon you from YHWH.

What constitutes ‘ungodliness? Are we to love those that hate YHWH? What constitutes ‘hating YHWH’?

YesheYahu (Isa) 8:11-13

11        For YHWH spoke to me strongly saying and instructing me that I should not walk in the way of this people. He also said,
12        “Do not say, a confederacy, to all them to whom of these people who shall say, a confederacy. Do not fear what they fear and do not be afraid.
13        Hallow YHWH Tsavaowt Himself; and let Him be your object of reverence and let Him be the One before whom you tremble...

Hoshea 4:17 says:

17        Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.

Hoshea 12:1 also says:

1          Ephraim feeds on wind, and follows after the east wind. He, daily increases lies and desolation and they make a covenant with the Assyrians and oil is carried into Egypt .

May we simply keep our mouths shut if that does not put us in opposition to YHWH?

Yechezkiel (Ezek) 3:18-19

18        When I say to the wicked, you shall surely die and you do not give him warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand.
19        Yet if you warn the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered yourself from guilt.

Divrei Yamim Bet (2 Chr) 19:8-10
8            Moreover in Yerushalayim did Yehoshaphat set of the Levi’iym, and of the priests, and of the chief of the fathers of Yisrael, for the judgment of YHWH, and for controversies, when they returned to Yerushalayim.
9          And he charged them saying, “This is what you shall do in the fear of YHWH, faithfully and with a perfect heart.
10        And whatsoever cause shall come to you from your brothers that dwell in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and judgments, you shall warn them so that they do not trespass against YHWH, so wrath will not come upon you and upon your brothers. Do this and you shall not trespass.

First, we seek to have shalom between us and YHWH. Second, we seek to have shalom between us and our brother. Third, we seek to have shalom between us and our neighbor.

Of course shalom with YHWH is of the utmost importance since no other relationship will prosper and be worthwhile if we are not in accord with Him.

First, we must acknowledge YHWH as our Elohiym:

Tehillim (Ps) 14:1-3

1          The fool has said in his heart, there is no Elohiym. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that does good.
2          YHWH looked down from the heavens upon the children of men, to see if there were any that understood and sought Elohiym.
3          They have all gone aside, they have all together become filthy and there is none that does good, no, not one.

Tehillim (Ps) 37:23-27

23        The steps of a good man are ordered by YHWH and he delights in his way.
24        Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down: for YHWH upholds him with His hand.
25        I have been young and now I am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
26        He is ever merciful and lends and his seed is blessed.
27        Depart from evil, do good and dwell for evermore.

Tehillim (Ps) 106:1 (HalleluYah! Hodu LaYHWH Kiy Towb Kiy L’Olawm Chasdo)

1          Praise YHWH O give thanks to YHWH; for He is good: for His mercy endures for ever.

Tehillim (Ps)  107: 2 (yomaru  geulei YHWH asher  gealam  miyad tsar)

2          Let the redeemed of YHWH say so, those whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy;

Hinneh mah towb uwmah  na-iym shebet achiym  gam echad
Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity.

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