Haftarah Balak (Micah/Michoh/Michah 5:6-6:8) 5782 B”H

הִגִּ֥יד לְךָ֛ אָדָ֖ם מַה־טּ֑וֹב וּמָה־יְהֹוָ֞ה דּוֹרֵ֣שׁ מִמְּךָ֗ כִּ֣י 

אִם־עֲשׂ֚וֹת מִשְׁפָּט֙ וְאַ֣הֲבַת חֶ֔סֶד וְהַצְנֵ֥עַ לֶ֖כֶת 

עִם־אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ:

Walking “humbly” with God

The Hebrew word “צנַע” tzana occurs only twice in the Hebrew Scriptures (“Old Testament”).

You will find a form of the word in both the above passage which is Micah 6:8 as well as in Proverbs 11:2:

“When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
but with the humble is wisdom.” Proverbs 11:2

Tzana is usually translated in English as “humble.” Strong’s Hebrew Concordance defines tzana as “to be modest or humble.” Accordingly, I will highlight how the NKJV, NRSV, and TLV all choose to translate this word as “humbly”:

Micah 6:8 New King James Version

“He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the LORD require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8 NKJV, emphasis added

Micah 6:8 New Revised Standard Version

“He has told you, O mortal, what is good,
    and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice and to love kindness
    and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8 NRSV, emphasis added

Micah 6:8 Tree of Life Version

“He has told you, humanity, what is good,
and what ADONAI is seeking from you:
Only to practice justice, to love mercy,
    and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 TLV, emphasis added

Walking “discreetly” with God

With this much agreement by Christian translators, can’t we just be happy with their translation and move on with our day?

Well, sure. But that would be boring.

Let me instead point out a nuance that captured my attention while studying this passage and I hope sparks your thoughts, too!

The Complete Tanakh translation used by the Orthodox Jewish Chabad movement translates this word differently. Rather than humble, they chose to translate tzana as “discreet”:

Micah 6:8 Complete Tanakh

He has told you, O man, what is good, and what the LORD demands of you; but to do justice, to love loving-kindness, and to walk discreetly with your God. Micah 6:8, Complete Tanakh, emphasis added

Could it be that the Jewish translation is closer to the original meaning?

Many of the Orthodox Jewish folks are more fluent in Hebrew having studied and spoken it much longer than those of us who are able to read and translate, but who are not necessarily as familiar with the language’s deepest nuances.

To be humble requires a degree of discretion, does it not? Let’s think about what it would mean to add more discretion to our walk with the LORD.

What about Bold Professions of Faith?

It is generally easy in the United States to make bold professions of our faith without fear of persecution or retribution.

We are able to wear Christian t-shirts, carry a Bible in a cute case, preach openly and testify to those who would listen.

Do you realize how incredibly blessed we are that our car radios can access multiple Christian stations? Those radio stations aren’t censored and no one is getting prison time for sharing the Gospel message. Not so in other countries, my friend.

Here in the U.S., we have a tendency to boast of our evangelistic efforts. “How many” people attended the tent revival. “How many” people got saved last week. We focus on numbers and we pat ourselves on the back when we baptize new followers of Messiah.

Some of that is ok. After all in Galatians 6:14, Rabbi Sha’ul (Paul) exhorts us to boast in the cross. But are we boasting of our LORD or boasting of our own efforts?

What we should strive for is a bold profession of faith coupled with humility.

Were it not for the LORD . . .

Justice, Mercy, and Discretion

I grew up in a very liberal “church.” They were not ashamed to tell you that they believed the Gospel in a nutshell is summarized by Micah 6:8. While this verse is wonderful, the Gospel requires the understanding that God’s Son came, died, and rose again for us.

Their abrasive social justice campaigns always cited this verse, and I kid you not, one “Easter Sunday” they advertised “Health and Wellness Sunday” and completely ignored the Resurrection.

Yeah, it was weird.

I bring this up because we need to understand the type of justice that Micah is talking about.

What many call “social justice” today is an aberration to true, Godly justice.

Micah exhorts us to seek the type of justice that will honor God. We are to love mercy so that we are balanced in our decision-making and demonstrate God-honoring kindness.

Humility goes right along with that, but so does being discrete.

I can wear my faith (literally) on my sleeve, but what changes when I am more discrete about it?

Messiah Jesus taught discretion: “But when you do tzedakah (charity/good deeds), do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing…” Matthew 6:3

Won’t my inner conversation with my LORD be even more personal, more intimate?

Won’t my boasting shift from my own achievements to what He has accomplished?

What happens when I don’t make it obvious that I am a believer? Is there a segment of people I could actually reach better if they didn’t know from the outset that I am a follower of Messiah Yeshua (Jesus Christ) the Anointed One?

On the other hand, we do not want to be overly discreet so as to muddle our testimony, cause confusion, or inadvertently damage our testimonies! It is no secret that most strict Jewish communities are very closed to the outside world. “Walking discreetly with God” takes on a different sense in those communities such that their observance is so inward it seems on the outside that they have very little sense of welcome to nonJews (even though hospitality is actually a very strong part of Judaism!).

As in all things, there must be balance.

The Secret Place of the Most High

There is something to be said about dwelling in the “secret place” of the Most High. Throughout Scripture, the “secret place” is also translated as “shelter,” “refuge,” or being “concealed,” by God.

“He who dwells in the shelter of Elyon,
will abide in the shadow of Shaddai.” Psalm 91:1

The LORD covers us, in such a way that could be described as “discreet.” We are invited into the secret place, the place of His holiness, covered and protected in His love.

So let us learn to walk justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly and discreetly with Him.

How will we do that?

By being in relationship with the LORD God Almighty and His Son, Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus Christ. We must be filled by His Holy Spirit so we can truly live in justice, mercy, and humility.

So I encourage you today, seek Him with all your heart! Allow the LORD to teach you and guide you in all of His ways so you may know Him and make Him known! Shalom!

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Related:

Tzedek, Tzadik, & Tzedakah: Matthew 6:3-4 through a Hebraic lens

I was reading a book last night by Dr.Amy-Jill Levine. It was sent to me and I’m going to be writing a blog review for it soon. Update: Here is a link to my review: The Difficult Words of Jesus. While Dr. Levine and I definitely have our theological differences, I was struck by one very simple, but poignant question she posed. The rich young ruler of the Gospels was so preoccupied with storing up treasures in both earth and heaven that he wanted to know what he had to do to inherit eternal life – so he could fill up his heavenly “vault,” as Levine put it. The question that sparked my interest was this: if you were in that situation, able to stop Jesus in His tracks to ask Him any question in the world, what would you ask? What would you say?

What would you ask Yeshua?

Would you ask Him what it takes to “earn” eternal life? Demand a heavenly inheritance? Plea for salvation? Would you humbly ask for a healing? Would you ask something deeply theological, or would you stick to something more temporal?

In 1 Kings, King Solomon has the opportunity to ask anything of God.

He could’ve asked for details about what happens in the next life or the world to come. But he asks for something quite unexpected, and much much different than the riches sought by the young ruler in the Gospel story.

The fact that the Eternal One directs Solomon to ask Him for something, to ask for anything at all is shocking.

It is shocking because it is unexpected, but it is also shocking because at the time, Solomon was walking in obvious disobedience.

King Solomon knew full well who God is, and his duty to honor the God of Israel as he ruled. After all, his father was King David who wrote most of the Psalms! Surely King Solomon had no excuse when he practiced idolatry and lustfully sought out his many wives. Solomon knew better than to worship pagan gods!

This Psalm, penned by King Solomon’s father, King David, speaks of the glorious ascent to the hill of YHVH.

“Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD?
Or who may stand in His holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully.
He shall receive blessing from the LORD,
And righteousness from the God of his salvation.“

Psalm 24:3-5

It is certainly conceivable Solomon had his father’s words ringing in his ears as he

climbed up . . . not to a Holy Place, but to

the pagan

high place in Gibeon

to singe a thousand burnt offerings and incense.

On top of that, Shlomo (Solomon in Hebrew) had just married Pharaoh’s daughter. Shouldn’t he be feeling ashamed by now?

Many of us are well aware that Solomon’s foreign wives inspired him to pursue pagan practices. Yet even to this day Solomon is known for something else: his wisdom. God’s mercy, long-suffering, and patience really are remarkable.

What Solomon had in his favor is recorded in 1 Kings 3:3, “Solomon loved the LORD . . . “

Loving the LORD makes up the difference. His mercy endures forever.

On one particular trip up the Gibeon mountain, the trek plus the mountain air allowed Solomon to fall asleep that night. He probably didn’t have to count Israeli sheep in order to fall asleep. I imagine he fell into a fairly deep sleep just from the day’s activities.

The LORD Almighty, the Sovereign One, the Only True God, came to Solomon in a dream.

No messenger sent, no angel. God Himself appears to Solomon in the dream and says to him,

“Ask! What shall I give you?” (1 Kings 3:5)

Solomon burned sacrifices not to YHVH, but to false gods, in this very place. But to demonstrate His Omnipresence and Perfect Sovereignty, Adonai challenges Solomon to go ahead, ask for something.

A conversation King to king

Solomon is king (melech) of Israel and in a sense, the LORD is treating him that way. Being a king, surely Solomon was used to asking for things and getting them. There are no restrictions, there are no asterisks, no strings attached.

There are no limits because the LORD is God of the entire universe.

Any other supposed deity would have to place a limitation. A blue genie could get trapped in a bottle along with the three wishes he might be offering. A less-than-Almighty god would have to say:

“Ask for something within reason.”

“Please keep it under 100 shekels.”

“There will be a 10% service charge, which will be handled by your next tithe.”

Solomon is allowed to ask the LORD Most High for absolutely anything because He is able to do absolutely anything.

If you could ask God for anything, would you want jewels? tools?

If you were the king or queen of Israel, what would you want? More wealth and riches?

Solomon doesn’t ask for any of these things, not even a new pet camel.

“What do you want, Solomon, what should I give you?

King Solomon is ready to answer, but first he is sure to flatter YHVH a little. Smart thinking. Maybe he felt an extra need to show honor and deference to Elohim if he was laden with guilt from his unfaithfulness. That or, like a wife trying to butter up her husband to complete a honey-do list, first she reminds him how much she loves him, appreciates him, and couldn’t live without him. Right? 🙂

Solomon begins to praise God and thank Him for the kindness He has shown to his father David. Solomon acknowledges his immaturity and demonstrates humility (1 Kings 3:6-8). He expresses how he views the situation he lives in, this context of governance over a chosen, great, and numerous people.

Only after all of that does Solomon dare to say what he would like from God.

“Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” 1 Kings 3:9, emphasis added

Understanding and discernment.

In other words, wisdom.

Notice, King Solomon never says “wisdom.” He only describes it.

In Hebrew, the word for wisdom is chokhmah, and it is not found anywhere in this text, even though traditionally wisdom has been ascribed to Solomon. The Proverbs attributed to Solomon, however, do employ this term frequently. Here in 1 Kings 3, a form of the word chokhmah is used, chakham, but only by God Himself. God answers Solomon’s request for understanding and discernment by calling it wisdom (chakham).

It is quite evident that King Solomon avoids using the word chokhmah or any form thereof in his request of God.

So we must ask the question: why?

Perhaps it can be dismissed as too much of a technicality, but I do believe there is more to it.

Solomon may have been hesitant to ask for wisdom because in the culture of his day, despite being a king, he was asking a lot.

As early as the writings of Job, Jewish tradition has always held that wisdom is costlier than gold and silver (Job 28:12-15).

Maybe he thought it was too much to ask.

Wisdom is also personified in Scripture, interpreted as a divine attribute of God and embodied by Messiah Himself. While Solomon did not yet know his Messiah, Wisdom Incarnate, he would have had reverence regarding the subject of God’s Wisdom.

He had mustered his courage, and this pleased the LORD.

The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”

1 Kings 3:10-14, NKJV, emphasis added

The LORD assures Solomon that he will give him wisdom and fame. He adds riches and honor to the package, but now He does add an asterisk:

“You will have all of this and a long life, if you walk in My ways as your father David did.”

God will hold King Solomon accountable – He wants Solomon to do what is right.

Solomon awakens from his dream, heads straight to Jerusalem to offer legitimate sacrifice there to Adonai, and holds a party for his servants (1 Kings 3:15).

“And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore.” 1 Kings 4:29

King Solomon had so many great achievements, most importantly, the construction of the Temple. He was known for his sayings and proverbs, his riches and influence. But despite all of that, his heart strayed from the LORD. Lust was in the family line, and he seems to have inherited a generational curse. Because Solomon continued in disobedience, the Lord assured him the kingdom would be torn away under the reign of his son and that is exactly what happened.

What would you ask Yeshua?

We are all given the opportunity to ask God anything because He has made a way for us through Messiah Yeshua (Jesus). He might not come to us in a dream, but He is willing to listen to us because of His amazing grace.

He may not give us exactly what we want, but we definitely have the opportunity to share our heart with Him and He knows our deepest desires. Next time you are in prayer, ask of Him, and I know He will answer you in love. Learn from Solomon’s mistakes: keep a repentant heart, and go after the things of God, not the ways of the world.

The Father sent His Son to die for you. He loves you. Surely it is not too much for you to ask for something that is weighing on your heart, if you ask in humility, it shall be done for you.

Are you able to have a conversation with the LORD?

Are you in relationship with Him?

If you are sincerely sorry for your sins and your mistakes and your character flaws that sometimes get the best of you . . . and you have decided that you will trust in Him to help you change and turn away from continuing in sin, and if you have accepted the Truth that Yeshua (Jesus) is the King of Israel and would like Him to be the King of your heart, then you absolutely can be in communion and conversation with Him. Nothing can separate you from His love – and Messiah Yeshua bridged the gap between sin and darkness to enable you to be able to trust Him today with your life and your salvation. Believe in Him, obey His Word, and do not be afraid to go to Him in prayer. He hears you when you pray!

I hope this blog post has encouraged you! Please leave a comment, and consider subscribing! And, if you’d like, let’s connect on social media! Find us on Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter. Shalom!