The decision to oppose Adonijah’s claim to kingship was a courageous act with serious implications. Have you ever been in a situation like that? Did you ever have to make a choice as to which person or cause you would back, knowing that the consequences could include loss of employment, problems for your family, loss of reputation, persecution, maybe even loss of life?

Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin writes that our greatest presidents all experienced reversals that “at first impeded, then deepened, and finally and decisively molded their leadership.” Abraham is our first great leader and this observation applies to him. But it also applies to all those called to serve the God of Israel, whether recognized as leaders or not, like the Shunamite woman in this week’s haftarah portion.

These are anxious times. People feel insecure regarding their safety, their finances, and the social structures they have come to depend on. Partisan politics have divided neighborhoods, communities, and even families. Wars, rumors of wars, and natural disasters proliferate, and social media casts blame and aspersions on everyone. At times like this it is easy to ask, “Where is God?” and “Why is he so silent?”  

Is the God of the Old Testament an angry God, as is sometimes claimed?

Isaiah 54:9 links Hashem’s oath concerning the waters of Noah to his affirmation that he would not be angry with the children of Israel:

This is like the days of Noah to me: as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you and will not rebuke you.

When I first became a follower of Jesus I wanted to share the story of my amazing transformation with everyone. But, of course, Jesus was a big barrier for most people, especially Jewish people—even after we started saying Yeshua instead of Jesus. In recent years, though, it seems like the barrier has shifted, and now it’s God himself. For lots of people, before they can even consider Yeshua, they have to accept the idea that there might actually be a God who makes a difference.

I love this time of year! We see the changing of the seasons from summer to fall, as though there has been a cool breeze coming through, in our attitudes and overall well-being. Sukkot ushers in a wonderful feeling of joy and thanksgiving. Those of us who live in America might look at Sukkot as a precursor to the Thanksgiving holiday.

The haftarah for Parashat Ha’azinu, 2 Samuel 22:1–51, is David’s great hymn of thanksgiving, which also appears almost word-for-word in Psalm 18. Furthermore, the hymn parallels both the Song of the Sea in Exodus 15, read during Pesach, and Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 1:1–2:10, read on Rosh Hashanah. What is so amazing about David’s song that it would be made into a psalm and be included three times in the liturgical calendar? To answer this question, let’s look at two terms in the hymn—tzur (rock) and tamim (blameless, innocent, perfect).

The Bible is hardly a children’s book. It deals with human frailty and the hard and often harsh reality of human interaction. Perhaps, though, given the most popular viewing and reading choices in popular culture, it would be a better PR strategy to advertise the more scandalous narratives in Scripture! The haftarah for this week in the book of Hosea has one of the steamiest back-stories in the entire biblical canon. It is also, though, a story of faithfulness, patience, love, and relational restoration.

Living here in Israel, sometimes my heart is made heavy by the attitudes and spiritual life that are displayed here. Sometimes it is hard for me to see beyond the strife, beyond society’s ills, and beyond the emptiness that is evident in so many people’s lives. And so I wonder what will become of my people, who yearn to be like the Western world.

We live in a time of darkness. We live in a time when people do as they please, when they search for answers in every place imaginable, that is, every place besides God’s throne, when they are governed by the dictates of their hearts, when they have no idea where they are going. This is a time when people call evil good and good evil, light darkness and darkness light, bitter sweet and sweet bitter. And the good news is, it’s only going to get darker.