HaShem's statement here precipitates one of those "How could they say that?" moments. The chapter starts with

HaShem: literally, Hebrew for 'The Name' - an allusion used to avoid pronouncing the Tetragrammaton, the so-called 'ineffable' name of G–d

The

Ramban: Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman of Gerona or Nachmanides(1194-1270CE), Spanish rabbi, author and physician; defended Judaism in the Christian debates in Barcelona before making aliyah

Hirsch: Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (1808-1888CE), German rabbi, author and educator; staunch opponent of the Reform movement in Germany and one of the fathers of Orthodox Judaism

Davidson lists a number of related meanings for the root : 1. to take, seize upon; to take possession of; 2. to dispossess, to drive out; 3. to possess, hold in possession; 4. to inherit. So the

Sforno: Rabbi Ovadiah Sforno (1470-1550CE), Italian rabbi, philosopher and physician; born in Cesena, he went to Rome to study medicine; left in 1525 and after some years of travel, settled in Bolgna where he founded a yeshiva which he conducted until his death

Both of these ideas are found in one of Rav Sha'ul's more frequently quoted writings: "for by grace you have been save through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of G-d, not a result of works, so that no-one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Messiah Yeshua for good works, which G-d prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:8-10, ESV). The basic thrust is that salvation is from G-d, He provides it, we appropriate it by faith, but that faith in turn also comes from Him. It was always His intention that we should be believers, united with Messiah. At the same time, we have to participate in that process; firstly, by exercising the faith we have been given, by walking in faith and not in unbelief; and, secondly, by doing the "good works", deeds of righteousness, that He calls us to and has already prepared for us to do. James, the leader of the Jerusalem church famously comments that, "You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone" (James 2:24, ESV); it is a joint effort - the gift and intentionality of G-d, and the obedience and exercise of man.

This is why we find Rav Sha'ul saying, "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is G-d who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:12-13, ESV). G-d has a plan for each of our lives, a way to bless and grow us while also advancing the Kingdom and reaching other people with His invitation to become a part of that Kingdom. G-d is not subject to random change, simply reacting to events as they happen on the ground; He acts according to a specific and deliberate purpose and plan, that all mankind may acknowledge Yeshua as the Messiah of Israel and the Saviour of the world, that "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the L-rd as the waters cover the sea" (Isaiah 11:9, ESV). Yet in spite of G-d's over-arching plan for the whole universe, we are not reduced to simply being nameless or faceless cogs in the machine. At the very same time as He is working on the master plan for history, G-d also has an individual plan for each of us and our generation; He says - originally to the captives in Babylon, but equally to us today - "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the L-rd, 'plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope'" (Jeremiah 29:11, ESV). This is why G-d brought us out of sin and death to give us a share in His Kingdom to possess and inherit.

Further Study: Job 23:8-14; Isaiah 58:8-12

Application: How are you co-operating with G-d to actualise your inheritance today? Are you aware of the moving of G-d in your life and the lives of those around you to bring about His purposes for you? How could you participate more fully with Him to make that happen? Why not ask Him these questions today so that together you can move forward as a team!

© Jonathan Allen, 2008