The second major trial that Abraham is required to endure is to establish his inheritance in HaShem. Abram could not see how he would be able to establish an inheritance when he did not have a son. Even though Avram did not have a son, HaShem promised Avram multitudes of descendents (Gen 15:3-5). This is one of the greatest trials Abram faced. It is often hard to trust in the Lord when we cannot see Him fulfilling the promises He made to us. Waiting upon the Lord to bring about His desire was difficult for Abram. Rather then fully trusting in the Lord to handle the situation, Abram desired to help the Lord's plan by creating his own descendant with Hagar (Gen 16:1-4). By Abram's desire to fulfill the promise with his own strength, he caused undue strife (Gen 16:4-5). We often cause strife in our own lives by trying to complete the Lord's plan with our own abilities.

The third and final example of Moses heart being that of a servant is demonstrated by his willingness to lay down his life for others. When the Lord desired to destroy Israel for their transgressions Moses asked to have his name blotted out also (Ex 32: 31-32). Being the type of servant that Yeshua desires often requires us to lay down our lives for those that are in sin. This is probably the hardest thing for the follower of Yeshua to do. Laying down our life for those we feel are not worthy requires a spirit of humility. As followers of Yeshua, we must try to be like the examples in scripture and develop a true servant's heart. Just as Moses was ready to go to Egypt, stand against friends, and die for the unfaithful, as followers of Yeshua we should be willing to make the same sacrifices.

In summary, the true servant of the Lord is willing to do whatever it takes to serve Yeshua. Like Avraham, Moses, and Shaul we need to be prepared to go where we called. We need to stand firm for the Lord, and we need to be willing to lay down our lives in complete service. If Messianics the world over are prepared to make this kind of commitment, we can change people's hearts.

A Bit Unstable, But Fun to Drive

© 1999 by Yadhu

Just when you think you've seen everything, the unexpected turns up in Shtetl. My family and I were walking to shul early last Saturday morning when the strangest looking car passed by. "What the heck is that?" I exclaimed. "It looks like a kishka with a glandular problem," Said my wife with a chuckle as the funny looking vehicle turned out of sight. "It must be one of those new Israeli cars. " My oldest went on to say, "Papa didn't you see the article in the newspaper about the new dealership that just moved into town?" Dealership? I seemed to remember something about a Jewish car company recently opening up here in town but I couldn't remember the details.

As I walked into the office, I was greeted by Hadassah our secretary. "Rabbi, did you see the Meshugge in the parking lot?" "Really, is that any way to talk about the Dean?" I replied with a wry smile. Hadassah looked at me with a bit of a frown and said, "I wasn't talking about the Dean, I was talking about the new Israeli import parked outside." "What's all this about an Israeli car company?" I exclaimed. To which Hadassah handed me a copy of Friday's newspaper. "Page three," was all she said. I unfolded the paper and turned to the page and there it was in black and white.

Foreign Cars To Be Sold In Shtetl
By: Daniel Wiessman
Shtetl, Kansas. Mr. Irving Goldman and Mr. Jacob Catz, founders of Galut Motors, Inc. Televiv Israel, have announced their intention to import and sell their newest line of high-tech automobiles in the United States. The Meshugge, long since pop- ular with Israelis, will be exclusively sold through the Gonif Mercury/Mazda dealership located on South Riverview Parkway in Shtetl. continued

Most of these earlier authors include some retelling of how the Jewish people came to be in the lands being discussed. Invariably the story of the Exodus from Egypt is told.

Hecataeus of Abdera was a writer about 300 B.C.E. and is quoted by Diodorus Siculus in Bibliotheca Historica. Hecataeus says that the Jews living in Egypt "were driven from the country" (Schafer, 15-16) because the practice of "different rites of religion" was causing the general population of Egypt to forget to worship their own gods. And so the gods become angry causing pestilence. This way of retelling the story casts dispersion and suspicion upon the Jews. Undoubtedly, this attitude is fairly prevalent.

Another retelling of the Exodus is done by Strabo about 50 B.C.E. in his Geographia. According to Strabo, the Jews left Egypt because they were not happy with the religion of Egypt. The Jews felt that "the Egyptians were mistaken in representing the Divine Being by images of beasts and cattle . . . and the Greeks were also wrong in modeling gods in human form . . . Moses . . . led them away to this place where the settlement of Jerusalem now is" (Schafer, 24). By extension Strabo is saying that Moses felt that his god was superior and this was a direct insult to the Greeks and Egyptians.

Other writers, such as the Roman historian Pompeius Trogus in his Historiae Philippicae written during the end of the first century B.C.E., and the Greco-Egyptian Lysimachus writings between the second and first centuries B.C.E., have equally spurious renditions of the Exodus. These leave the reader with no doubt that the Jews are an unclean people bringing disease and curses that have selfish mores.

Apion of Alexandria, in his Aegyptiaca (first half of the first century C.E.) quoted in Josephus' Contra Apionem, calls it an "exodus of the lepers, the blind and the lame under Moses' leadership" (Schafer, 29).

Tacitus, also of the first century, in his Historiae tells of six different versions of the Exodus. Peter Schafer in discussing Tacitus says "what characterizes his excursus most . . . is an overall hostile tone, from the beginning to the end" (32).

Besides their version of the Exodus, these early authors also write about the concept of worshipping only one god.

Josephus talks about the writings of Apollonius Molan (first century B.C.E.) who is credited with writing the first book on Jews after Hecataeus. Josephus claims that Apollonius considers Jews "as atheists and misanthropes" (Schafer, 21) and "they have contempt for the proper religion and dislike not only foreigners but all human beings" (Schafer, 22).

The remarks about being "atheists" relate to Jews having a God that cannot be seen, as well as the fact that the Jews will not worship the gods of the area. This evidently looked to the locals like the Jews were "godless". These feelings against the Jews reflect the suspicion held for anything other than what the local people knew.

Celsus, in Alethes Logos written in the second half of the second century C.E. and coming to the present in Contra Celsum by Origen, believes that the one God of the Jews is the highest god, like Zeus, no matter what he is called. He indicates that Jews should not be arrogant and lay exclusive claim to the one God. He also addresses a holier-than-thou attitude he sees in the Jews displayed by customs such as circumcision and food restrictions. He says they did not invent the customs nor are they the only observers of the customs.

Varro in Antiquitates Rerum Humanarum et Divinarum written between 63 and 47 B.C.E. and quoted by Augustine, was actually the first to come up with the highest-god theory that Celsus assumes. He equates the Jewish God with the god Jupiter, saying, it does not matter "by which name he is called, so long as the same thing is understood" (Schafer, 37). But Varro does not speak in negative terms about Jews or the issue. To Varro it is a fact that any god will do.