From the Desk of Jeff King

Dead Sea Scrolls

Daughter Brianne drew this picture after we visited the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition in Seattle.

I'm glad the room was darkened. It hid the tears welling in my eyes as I peered into the dimly-lit, climate-controlled display case. Inches away was an ancient Hebrew manuscript, one of 10 Dead Sea Scroll fragments exhibited at Pacific Science Center in Seattle. The text included Isaiah 53, perhaps the Old Testament's most famous Messianic chapter. To the right was a large banner with the English translation. The words humbled and broke me:

And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet is was the will of the LORD to bruise him; he has put him to grief; when he makes himself an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand; he shall see the fruit of the travail of his soul and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous; and he shall bear their iniquities. . . . because he poured out his soul to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

This brittle, yellowish-brown parchment was introducing Seattle, one of the most spiritually dark cities in America, to God's suffering servant, Yeshua ben Yosef (Jesus Christ). I stepped back to watch others in the crowd read the Isaiah passage. No one spoke or stirred. The stillness was interrupted only by soft instrumental music, which heightened the sense of reverence and awe. Who were all these other people? Jews, Christians, pagans, atheists? Was anyone impacted? Perhaps some Jews, shielded from the Messianic prophecies of Isaiah 53 by their rabbis, saw Yeshua of Nazareth for the first time. Only God knows. All I know is that I won't forget the two hours I spent here today with my wife and children. As the family moved on to the gift shop, I remained behind for a few minutes. I walked back to the 2,000-year-old Isaiah scroll and marveled. The light of God's Word pierces the darkness.

Hang in there

Authentic Christianity is an endurance race that requires perseverance and patience. No one understood this better than members of the first-century church at Philadelphia, one of seven churches in Asia Minor profiled in the book of Revelation. Messiah Yeshua, speaking through the apostle Yochanan (John), commends it for three expressions of faithfulness:

1) You have a little strength
2) You have kept My word
3) You have not denied My name

The Greek word for "little" implies less or least, yet that condition does not alarm Adonai. In 2 Cor. 12:9 God says His strength is made perfect in weakness. His grace is sufficient. Our source of strength does not come from within, but above. Empowered by God's Spirit, the righteous in Philadelphia were able to persevere in a pagan society. They kept His Word, meaning they held fast to the commandments. They guarded them in their heart. And lastly, the believers did not disown or reject Yeshua's name.

Today we live in perilous times. Apostasy permeates Christianity. Pastors, blinded by ambition, pride and greed, build their own kingdoms while neglecting God's. But Adonai has kept for Himself a remnant, a body of believers who, like those in Philadelphia, would not quit or compromise. Even if you have only a little strength, don't relent. Stay the course. Keep the faith. As we near the finish line, hear the urgency of Messiah's voice in Rev. 3:11, "Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown."

Cry of the poor

Meditating on Proverbs 28:27:

He who gives to the poor will not lack, but he who hides his eyes will have many curses.

The word "curse" is from the Hebrew root 'arar, which means bitterly curse, bind (with a spell), hem in with obstacles, render powerless to resist. According to the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, when God told Cain he was cursed from the earth it meant he was banned from the spoil, or more specifically, banned from enjoying its productivity. Applied today, when Christians lavish themselves with material wealth – which the prosperity preachers sadly encourage – and ignore the poor, they are accursed. Their possessions fail to satisfy.