HIS PRAYER FOR US
by Jeremy Chance Springfield
7/16/2016
Our Father in heaven’s desire to have a people all His own in a fallen world began with the person of Abraham, and through his descendants who were called to set apart His name, grew into a kingdom that was to seek to perform the will of heaven here on earth. They were to live a life of reliance on Him for their daily needs, and to be a people who did not hold grudges against their fellow man, but sought to show compassion by living the commandments given to them. In this way, navigating a world of temptation and trial by seeking His favor, they were to be kept and to help keep others from evil, in effort to acknowledge that although we live in a fallen world, there is a Kingdom to which we can all – whether Hebrew or Gentile – attach ourselves that is not fallen, but whose glory will last forever and ever.
The nation of Israel was given a high calling, and in many ways, has unfortunately failed. However, despite failures, the calling remains, and in the sure promises made to them by the King of heaven, the hope for the fulfillment of the desire of the Father will be realized. There will definitely be a people who comprise a Kingdom for Him, and it will not be limited to the family of Abraham, but shall include individuals from every tongue and tribe in the entire world. This amazing blessing is already a reality, and it will only grow truer as the time nears for the restoration of all things. While ancient Israel did not so readily see the magnitude of the commonwealth of which they would one day be a part, the Holy One made a point to share the reality through His prophets in many inspired messages scattered throughout the history of His people.
The nation of Israel was given a high calling, and in many ways, has unfortunately failed. However, despite failures, the calling remains, and in the sure promises made to them by the King of heaven, the hope for the fulfillment of the desire of the Father will be realized. There will definitely be a people who comprise a Kingdom for Him, and it will not be limited to the family of Abraham, but shall include individuals from every tongue and tribe in the entire world. This amazing blessing is already a reality, and it will only grow truer as the time nears for the restoration of all things. While ancient Israel did not so readily see the magnitude of the commonwealth of which they would one day be a part, the Holy One made a point to share the reality through His prophets in many inspired messages scattered throughout the history of His people.
A passage preserving such a message that could be said to have been shocking at the time is that found in the book of the prophet Isaiah 56:6-8. The context of the passage revolves around welcoming into the community of faith those outsiders who would not be viewed as typically desiring to have a part in the covenants bestowed to Abraham’s family. It comprises an open-arm invitation to the most hardcore of rascals that they would not only be welcome citizens of the Kingdom with Israel, but that they would be integral and unified with His already-established people. As shall be shown in this study, the amazing declarations made in this short section of Spirit-inspired text reverberate down through time and have importance to us now in a truly beautiful and entirely meaningful manner. Let us look now at the text mentioned above to appreciate what the Holy One was presenting to His people.
6 “And the sons of the foreigner that attach themselves unto YHWH, to be for Him for servants, and to bless the Name of YHWH, and to guard the Sabbath from profanation, and seize hold of My covenant,
7 also them I bring to the Mountain of My holiness, and they shall rejoice in the House of My Prayer. Their ascension offerings and their sacrifices shall ascend up to be favored upon My altar, for My House shall be called a ‘House of Prayer’ for all peoples.”
8 The Master YHWH says, who gathers the outcasts of Yisra’El: “I shall gather further to him to those I have [already] gathered to him.”
7 also them I bring to the Mountain of My holiness, and they shall rejoice in the House of My Prayer. Their ascension offerings and their sacrifices shall ascend up to be favored upon My altar, for My House shall be called a ‘House of Prayer’ for all peoples.”
8 The Master YHWH says, who gathers the outcasts of Yisra’El: “I shall gather further to him to those I have [already] gathered to him.”
This is the reading from the Dead Sea scroll text of the book of Isaiah. For the reader who may be comparing this new translation I have rendered from that scroll with a translation found in other readily-accessible published versions of Scripture, it very briefly reads different than the Masoretic text, but only in a way that doesn’t affect the overall meaning of the passage.
This passage tells us that the sons of the foreigner who attaches himself to the covenant of the Most High will be brought into the inner circle, so to speak, of those who worship the Holy One. They will have entrance to the place of true worship – where sacrifices and offerings they desire to make will be acceptable. The text uses a beautiful word to signify the type of relationship such a Gentile can possess with the Most High. That term is HANILVIM, and literally means “those who are attached.” The term is worthy to point out because it is essentially another conjugation of the name LEVI – that is, the name of the tribe who was, at the time Isaiah was written, the only functioning priesthood in place.
This passage tells us that the sons of the foreigner who attaches himself to the covenant of the Most High will be brought into the inner circle, so to speak, of those who worship the Holy One. They will have entrance to the place of true worship – where sacrifices and offerings they desire to make will be acceptable. The text uses a beautiful word to signify the type of relationship such a Gentile can possess with the Most High. That term is HANILVIM, and literally means “those who are attached.” The term is worthy to point out because it is essentially another conjugation of the name LEVI – that is, the name of the tribe who was, at the time Isaiah was written, the only functioning priesthood in place.
This choice of word speaks volumes of the spiritual intimacy that the Gentiles can enjoy when they turn to the Holy One of the Hebrews. The term’s relation to the priestly tribe of Levi is meant to cause the reader to realize how much the Most High would truly accept foreigners into the Kingdom. His original desire for the people, it must be remembered, was to have an entire nation of priests (see Exodus 19:5-6). The verbiage used here expresses that continued desire even for those who are coming into the covenant from the outside.
Not only is intimacy in worship something that the native-born Israelite can enjoy, but it is offered also to the foreigner who attaches himself to the Deity of Abraham. The foreigner who seeks to be a servant, who loves the name of the Most High (that is, His authority over us in this world), who guards the Sabbath from being broken, and who seizes hold of the covenant as something to be desired and valued, will have access to the Kingdom in an in-depth way. His prayers to the Holy One will be accepted in His holy Temple with the same readiness as those offered up by the native-born Israelites.
Not only is intimacy in worship something that the native-born Israelite can enjoy, but it is offered also to the foreigner who attaches himself to the Deity of Abraham. The foreigner who seeks to be a servant, who loves the name of the Most High (that is, His authority over us in this world), who guards the Sabbath from being broken, and who seizes hold of the covenant as something to be desired and valued, will have access to the Kingdom in an in-depth way. His prayers to the Holy One will be accepted in His holy Temple with the same readiness as those offered up by the native-born Israelites.
This passage from Isaiah 56 also holds another commonly-overlooked detail that is integral to note in our study. It is the result of both Hebrew and Gentile united as one to worship the Deity of Israel. The reader may have noticed a phrase in the above translation from Hebrew that reads somewhat differently than most available English versions. The text in 56:7 is rendered directly from the Hebrew as “House of My Prayer.” This is exactly what is contained in the Hebrew text: B’VEYT TEFILLATI = “House of My Prayer.” Most English Bible versions rather have the phrase “My house of prayer.” In fact, in a search of 37 different Bible versions, only two render the Hebrew as I have done (Jubilee Bible 2000, and Wycliffe). This difference in translation is not due to a variation between the Dead Sea scroll’s reading and the typical Masoretic text reading used to obtain most English translations. The different Hebrew manuscripts are actually identical in wording in this instance. For some reason, however, the majority of translators have chosen to translate the Hebrew of that phrase in a non-literal fashion, opting to place the “my” suffix in the Hebrew onto “house” rather than on the word to which the Holy Spirit saw fit to actually attach it – “prayer.” Doing so has promoted an incorrect translation in most English Bibles. The correct reading, therefore, is exactly how I have rendered it in the translation I’ve given: “House of My Prayer.”
It seems like an insignificant difference, at first glance. What is so big about translating it correctly as “House of My Prayer,” rather than the popular “My House of Prayer?” Does it really matter? Of course we know that it matters how we view His Word; the correct reading should always be striven to be understood and shared. In this case, highlighting the correct reading of this passage gives us the next piece of understanding of the Kingdom-desire of the Holy One. He desires that people from all nations join to His chosen people Israel and worship Him in devotion. He will have both native-born Israelite and Gentiles who attach themselves to Him in His Kingdom, all seeking to value the things He values, and perform the deeds He deems worthy for us to do.
A key necessity in this – and alluded to in the text itself – means that we will all be united in prayer to Him. While we may come from different backgrounds – Judaism, or any of the other foreign cultures in the history of the world – when we unite as worshippers of the true Creator, we are unified in prayer, as well. In this way, the centralized Temple – the “House,” as it is referred to here, becomes the “House of My Prayer,” in that the prayer is addressed to the Holy One. Unity comes by common focus, and in prayer, that focus is only and always upon the Holy One of Israel! Mankind can be united in the House of His prayer by calling out singularly to Him. That is one manner of explanation of the Hebrew phrase that speaks of our common worship of the King of all creation. It is a beautiful thing to consider: although initially separated by culture and worship, when mankind comes together to worship and call out to the Creator in prayer, we become one before Him.
A key necessity in this – and alluded to in the text itself – means that we will all be united in prayer to Him. While we may come from different backgrounds – Judaism, or any of the other foreign cultures in the history of the world – when we unite as worshippers of the true Creator, we are unified in prayer, as well. In this way, the centralized Temple – the “House,” as it is referred to here, becomes the “House of My Prayer,” in that the prayer is addressed to the Holy One. Unity comes by common focus, and in prayer, that focus is only and always upon the Holy One of Israel! Mankind can be united in the House of His prayer by calling out singularly to Him. That is one manner of explanation of the Hebrew phrase that speaks of our common worship of the King of all creation. It is a beautiful thing to consider: although initially separated by culture and worship, when mankind comes together to worship and call out to the Creator in prayer, we become one before Him.
This fusion of Hebrew and Gentile to worship the Most High is accomplished by the sacrifice of the Messiah, whereby Hebrew and Gentile have become one, as the book of Ephesians 2:11-16 tells us:
11 Because of this, you should remember that you were people that were formerly in the flesh, and you were called “The Uncircumcised” from those that are called “The Circumcision” - and is that which is made through the hands, in the flesh,
12 and it was in that time that you were without the Messiah, and you were foreigners from the customs of Eesra’El, and you were strangers to the covenant of the promise, and you were without hope and without a deity in the world.
13 But now, in Yeshua Messiah, you who were distant from before have been brought near in the blood of the Messiah.
14 For it is He who is our tranquility, who made the two one, and broke down the obstacle that stood in the middle,
15 and the hostility, by His flesh - and the instruction of commandments, and annulled it by His commandments - that of the two He should create in His own substance one new son of man, and make tranquility,
16 and reconciled the two into one body with the Deity, and in His cross killed the hostility.
12 and it was in that time that you were without the Messiah, and you were foreigners from the customs of Eesra’El, and you were strangers to the covenant of the promise, and you were without hope and without a deity in the world.
13 But now, in Yeshua Messiah, you who were distant from before have been brought near in the blood of the Messiah.
14 For it is He who is our tranquility, who made the two one, and broke down the obstacle that stood in the middle,
15 and the hostility, by His flesh - and the instruction of commandments, and annulled it by His commandments - that of the two He should create in His own substance one new son of man, and make tranquility,
16 and reconciled the two into one body with the Deity, and in His cross killed the hostility.
It is He who has united both native and foreigner into the covenant. It is He who is the clearest expression of the Most High on earth. It is in the person of Yeshua that we can view the Hebrew phrase yielding “House of My Prayer” in yet another way: the phrase is telling us that the Deity Himself has a prayer! It tells us that prayer is not limited to a human heart, but arises also in the heart of Deity! Put simply, the Hebrew text of Isaiah 56:7 is telling us that Deity Himself prays! It may be a strange concept to initially consider. To whom would Deity pray? How would it be rendered? It may not make total sense at first, but we must seek to make some sense of the literal meaning of the Hebrew text: the One to whom we pray does also Himself pray!
While it may initially sound odd if one is not acquainted with the view, it is actually an idea of certain Scriptural antiquity. Recall even in the New Covenant, that we are told the Holy Spirit dwelling in us at times offers up on our behalf necessary prayers that cannot be spoken from our human tongue, a fact found in Romans 8:26-27.
While it may initially sound odd if one is not acquainted with the view, it is actually an idea of certain Scriptural antiquity. Recall even in the New Covenant, that we are told the Holy Spirit dwelling in us at times offers up on our behalf necessary prayers that cannot be spoken from our human tongue, a fact found in Romans 8:26-27.
26 Thus, even the Spirit helps us for our frailty, for what should be prayed for according to what is proper we do not know, but instead, the Spirit prays in our behalf in laments that are not spoken.
27 For the Explorer of hearts is He who knows the mind of the Spirit, as according to the desire of the Deity He prays in behalf of the set-apart ones.
27 For the Explorer of hearts is He who knows the mind of the Spirit, as according to the desire of the Deity He prays in behalf of the set-apart ones.
Also in ancient Judaism we see this concept as a developed perspective of the Most High. In the text of the Talmud, Judaism’s ancient cultural and rabbinical religious tome, we read of an interesting discussion that revolves around this very concept. In tractate Berachot 6a, the text preserves a discussion the rabbis are having about the realm of the spirit and prayer, and the Presence of the Holy One in our midst, and it tells us a surprise detail:
The Talmud records here a long-standing perspective that the Holy One wears tefillin. For the reader who may not know about the commandment of tefillin, the brief explanation is that they are leather straps and compartments containing small scrolls of portions of Scripture, and are to be worn upon the head and upon the arm / hand of a believer (see Exodus 13:9, 13:16; Deuteronomy 6:8, 11:18). Hebrew Scripture actually refers to them by several names at various points of discussion in the Word, but in the Aramaic New Covenant text of the Peshitta, and also for those in Judaism, they are known as tefillin, a term arising from the word for “prayer” – TEFILLAH. The reason for this name being given to them over time is because of how the majority of the Hebrew people developed the physical performance of the commandment – they eventually singled-out the time of prayer as the proper time to wear tefillin, so that a man wearing tefillin upon hand / arm, and head, would automatically be assumed to be in the act of prayer. Obviously, it is no sin to wear them apart from prayer-time (indeed, many faithful in antiquity wore them all day); it is merely how the majority of Hebrews progressed to perform the commandment. For a more extensive discussion on the spiritual aspects behind the physical performance, see my study LAYING TEFILLIN AT THE END OF TIME.
When we understand the reasoning behind the link between wearing tefillin upon the hand / arm, and head, then it becomes apparent why the rabbis bring up the topic of that commandment and proceed to assert that even the Holy One Himself wears the objects – which they do by citing a passage from the book of Isaiah 62:8, the relevant text of which I have rendered in bold font as included in the quote from the Talmud. With the passage speaking of His “right hand” and “arm,” the rabbis derived from those expressions that the Most High was swearing by the tefillin He had attached to them – and thus, One who would also be engaged in the act of prayer! In all of this we can see the legitimacy of the understanding of the Hebrew phrase “House of My Prayer” as being able to point to the amazing idea that Deity utters prayer! It is indeed a valid concept to consider in our study of the uniting of Hebrew and Gentile in worship to the Holy One.
While we know that the Father is Spirit, and as such, is not physically wearing the commanded objects of tefillin that indicate prayer on His part, the details mentioned in the verse referenced give us insight as to what is actually being intended by the Spirit with such language: the New Covenant’s Gospel of John 12:38 quotes a prophecy from the book of Isaiah 53:1, and in doing so equates “the arm” of the Most High as actually being a reference to Yeshua the Messiah!
While we know that the Father is Spirit, and as such, is not physically wearing the commanded objects of tefillin that indicate prayer on His part, the details mentioned in the verse referenced give us insight as to what is actually being intended by the Spirit with such language: the New Covenant’s Gospel of John 12:38 quotes a prophecy from the book of Isaiah 53:1, and in doing so equates “the arm” of the Most High as actually being a reference to Yeshua the Messiah!
The 53rd chapter of the book of Isaiah is famous for being a prophetic passage about the Messiah, and so He is referenced by the title “arm of MarYa,” which was John’s way of writing in Aramaic the Hebrew text’s idea that Messiah is the “arm of YHWH.” The believers in first-century Israel read the text of the prophet and understood the symbolic language of the Deity’s “right hand” and “arm” as speaking of the promised Messiah, Yeshua! In fact, several times in the Hebrew of Isaiah (see also 48:13) and also in Psalms (see 60:5; 108:6; 98:1; 118:15-16; 138:7) the mention of the “right hand” of the Most High is directly accompanied with various inflections of the verb YESHUAH (save / rescue), the term from whence ultimately comes the name of the Messiah Yeshua! The Gospel writer was thus correct to heed the Spirit’s compulsion upon him to view the Messiah as the manifestation of the “arm” / “right hand” of the Most High!
When we understand the terminology and the significance of it, it is easy to see that Yeshua’s human presence could indeed fulfill the declaration of Isaiah regarding the prayer of the Most High, as He is, by His nature of being the Son of the Holy One, Deity! As the Deity’s manifestation in humanity, Yeshua would be able to don tefillin, as the rabbis understood the statements in Isaiah, and would be able to pray, as well! Concerning this joyful reality, let us turn once more to the Talmud of the Jews, for they discussed further the concept of the Deity’s tefillin in a way that totally fits into our current study. Just a little further in the same folio quoted above from the Talmud – Berachot 6a, we read a question posed about the nature of the tefillin of the Holy One.
When we understand the terminology and the significance of it, it is easy to see that Yeshua’s human presence could indeed fulfill the declaration of Isaiah regarding the prayer of the Most High, as He is, by His nature of being the Son of the Holy One, Deity! As the Deity’s manifestation in humanity, Yeshua would be able to don tefillin, as the rabbis understood the statements in Isaiah, and would be able to pray, as well! Concerning this joyful reality, let us turn once more to the Talmud of the Jews, for they discussed further the concept of the Deity’s tefillin in a way that totally fits into our current study. Just a little further in the same folio quoted above from the Talmud – Berachot 6a, we read a question posed about the nature of the tefillin of the Holy One.
This explanation may initially be viewed as rather lackluster. One might readily expect a grand and fantastic revelation to be contained in the scroll of the tefillin of the Holy One, if He also is engaged in prayer. But that is not the case. Rather, the explanation of what is written inside His tefillin is rather simple, isn’t it? In fact, it is actually a verse from 1st Chronicles 17:21, of all places! The context is that of an aged King David’s prayer to the Holy One Himself, recalling the great mercies that had been poured out upon him and his people by the loving-kindness of the Most High. In the midst of his adulation, King David utters the expression that is said by Judaism to be upon the Deity’s tefillin: “And who is like Your people Yisra’El, a nation unified in the earth?” As was made clear at the beginning of this study, Israel has not been the ever-shining beacon to the world that was to be its original purpose, but it has yet been from whence came the Messiah, and He is the Light shining with no dimming in sight. He is the epitome of the desire the Holy One held for His people – Israel, and all whom would join together as one, are to ultimately be a nation unified in the earth, a nation that seeks the will of heaven. Yeshua personifies that hope of the Most High, and by coming to Him for redemption, we can realize in Him that primordial desire of the Creator.
As the physical manifestation of the Deity’s supreme desire on earth, Yeshua obeyed all the commandments that were ever applicable to Him, and more than that, He offered up a great prayer that came from His heart, and which became a gift to every man who would follow Him. As the voice of the Deity, and likely while wearing His own pair of tefillin, He uttered a prayer for us all to pray in unison: the prayer known for centuries as “the Lord’s prayer.” It is preserved for us firstly in Matthew 6:9-13, and repeated again in Luke 11:2-4. As the second instance is just a slightly shortened recorded form of the first, we shall choose instead to address the prayer as it is first encountered in the book of Matthew.
9 Thus, you do pray hence: ‘Our Father who is in the heavens, Your Name shall be set-apart.
10 Your Kingdom shall come; Your desire be done – as that it is in the heavens, also on the earth.
11 Give us the bread that we need today,
12 and forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.
13 And do not lead us to trial, but preserve us from the evil, because Your's is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.’
10 Your Kingdom shall come; Your desire be done – as that it is in the heavens, also on the earth.
11 Give us the bread that we need today,
12 and forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.
13 And do not lead us to trial, but preserve us from the evil, because Your's is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.’
This beautiful prayer was not originally uttered in the Temple, or in Jerusalem at all, but in the crossroads of Hebraic and Gentile culture – in Galilee, before a group of people the text tells us came from all over the land! Native-born, religious Jews were in the crowd with Hellenistic Jews, and with converts and Gentiles from the nations when He spoke the prayer that is the most holy form of communication between man and the Most High.
When asked how to pray by His students, Yeshua did not utter a formulaic Jewish prayer comprised by a rabbi of disputable opinion whose words they would have heard in the synagogues, nor did He teach them to engage in prayers of an incomprehensible ecstatic speech. Rather, His response to them was original and pure. Messiah’s words were given not as a formula to be applauded and then dismissed while we seek instead to craft our own lofty supplications of particular oratory finesse, but as the earnest desire of the Spirit for mankind to commune in intimacy and simplicity with the Father. The prayer is the result of the sincere heart of the Son, who knew the desire of the Father for pure worship in the earth, and performed it flawlessly from His first gasping breath until His last gasp from the wood. That same pure worship exhibited by Messiah is encapsulated in the prayer He prays and teaches to His students: to have a people united in purpose to worship the Holy One. To have a people like no other, who know no division, but are one in focus, just as King David also earnestly cried out to the Most High about the way Israel should be!
When asked how to pray by His students, Yeshua did not utter a formulaic Jewish prayer comprised by a rabbi of disputable opinion whose words they would have heard in the synagogues, nor did He teach them to engage in prayers of an incomprehensible ecstatic speech. Rather, His response to them was original and pure. Messiah’s words were given not as a formula to be applauded and then dismissed while we seek instead to craft our own lofty supplications of particular oratory finesse, but as the earnest desire of the Spirit for mankind to commune in intimacy and simplicity with the Father. The prayer is the result of the sincere heart of the Son, who knew the desire of the Father for pure worship in the earth, and performed it flawlessly from His first gasping breath until His last gasp from the wood. That same pure worship exhibited by Messiah is encapsulated in the prayer He prays and teaches to His students: to have a people united in purpose to worship the Holy One. To have a people like no other, who know no division, but are one in focus, just as King David also earnestly cried out to the Most High about the way Israel should be!
For the reader who would like to learn to speak the prayer in the same Aramaic tongue as Messiah first gave it, I have broken down the prayer into English and the corresponding Aramaic phonetic transliteration. Aramaic, like Hebrew, is read from right-to-left, and the phonetic transliteration I've provided beneath the Aramaic script should likewise be read in that way - opposite of how the English is rendered.
The rabbis came up with a seemingly creative interpretation about the Presence of the Holy One in our midst, of the idea of Deity Himself engaging in prayer, and that prayer, exemplified through a passage of His own tefillin, displaying the desire for harmony in our commonwealth focus on Him. It should not be ignored that the witness of Messiah which has been preserved for us in the text of the New Covenant shows first a startling parallel to David’s prayer and the later Talmudic view of Deity praying – the Messiah as a Torah-observant Jewish man who engaged in prayer and taught with divine authority that prayer to both Hebrew and Gentile!
The popularly-called “Lord’s Prayer” is spoken today by Messianic Jews and Gentiles from the nations who have come to trust in the Messiah of Israel. It is truly His prayer for us! The prayer of Messiah is uttered by the lips of native Hebrew and foreigner alike, offering to the Holy One a single prayer seeking the uniting of His will with ours, a hope that will see fulfillment at the return of Yeshua to this earth, where, in His rebuilt Holy House, the prayer of Yeshua will be lifted up by a people comprised of Abraham’s seed as well as those from the Gentiles of the world – a prayer offered up by a nation unified in the earth!
All study contents Copyright Jeremy Chance Springfield, except for graphics and images, which are Copyright their respective creators.