The weekly reading for the week of 2 Kislev, 5766 - December 3, 2005 Parashah: Toledot Genesis 25:19 to 28:9; Haftarah:Malachi 1:1 to 2:7; Mei Kituvim: Psalm 47:1-10(9); Brit Chadashah: Romans 9:1-33



Parashah Lite Edition (Focuses on one verse or idea anywhere in the readings.)

The Bagel: Don't shoot the messenger.

"For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts" (Malachi 2:7).

When we receive bad news, or worse, news that contradicts us, we wish we could just "shoot the messenger." We toy with the idea thinking: "If only this news hadn't come. Everything was going along just fine until this!" Shooting the messenger doesn't change the facts. In rational discourse there is a tactic to discredit the facticity of an argument by attacking the credibility of the person making or delivering the argument (message). This is a fallacy known in logical circles as "Argumentum ad hominem," which is Latin for "argument against the man" and finds fault(s) in the opponent. Much of political campaigning uses this method and we know it as a "smear campaign." Lines are used such as: "So-and-so is unpatriotic, therefore his/her policy is wrong." Or how about this one? "The Bible is not true because the divine words were quoted by a drunk!" The facticity of a message is still true regardless of the medium in which was delivered.

Our text takes issue with the last statement. It does matter about the messenger. When there is inconsistency in the messenger then the message is discredited. If the prophet Malachi uttered his words, while he was drunk, then this places a different view of the facticity of the message. Our text is in the context of a priesthood (Cohanim) gone awry. Divorce, extortion, and an attitude of disregard for the sanctity of divine things were common among the priests. G-d's authority and person was being discredited by their actions. But G-d didn't shoot the messengers. He tried to reason with them and get them to repent.

We don't have any more revelators today. No one is adding new verses to the Bible. We do have interpreters of the text however. The interpreter must be faithful to the text and faithful to purity of life. When there is discord in either area, then the validity of the interpretation is suspect. The fallout of this is that sometimes the text gets discredited as well. Can G-d speak to the heart of someone hearing His words (Scripture) uttered by a drunk? You bet! But that is very rare, the norm is by a Spirit-filled and Spirit-walking believer in Yeshua. In either case, that listening heart can't shoot the messenger just because the message contradicts that person's life. And by G-d's plan of redemption, that negative-side of the message has the overwhelming positive-side as well - that heart can repent and discover the peace and joy of forgiveness of sin.

Cream Cheese: "Message received, over!"

• Torah:
  Genesis 25:19 to 28:9.
  
• Haftarah:
  Malachi 1:1-2:7.
  
• Mei Kituvim:
  Psalm 47:1-10(9).
  
• Brit Chadashah:
  Romans 9:1-33.