\Con`tra*dic"tion\,
n. An assertion of the contrary to what has
been said or affirmed; denial of the truth of a statement or assertion;
contrary declaration; gainsaying. n 1: opposition between two
conflicting forces or ideas 2: (in logic) a statement that is
necessarily false; "the statement `he is brave and he is not brave'
is a contradiction"
Source:
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998
A
contradiction is a statement of opposites. It says one thing while meaning another.
“Microsoft Works” for example could be considered a contradiction. So could the phrase “honest politician.”
Contradictions abound all over entertainment, news, and
the internet. There are even those who teach that there
are contradictions in the Bible.
It
is true that some statements in the Scriptures seem to contradict
each other but they simply do not. Some phrases do seem to make no logical
sense in comparison to others, yet there are no contradictions in
text of Genesis to Revelation.
The
few verses in the Bible that may seem to cancel each other out can
be understood by the willing. Like a person digging for buried treasure,
the reader must be willing to search deeper to find the truth. Such is the case in this week’s Torah
Parasha called “Ki Tissa” and an apparent contradiction concerning
Moshe.
Within the chapters
of our reading is the story of Moshe experiencing the presence and
power of Yahweh Almighty. ‘“Then Moshe said, “Now show me your glory”
And Yahweh said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front
of you, and I will proclaim my name, Yahweh, in your presence. I
will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion.
But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see
me and live,”’ Shemot (Exodus) 33:18-21.
What transpired after this conversation has been written
about, preached on, and analyzed for thousands of years.
Moshe hid behind a rock and Yahweh passed by.
“And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back
parts: but my face shall not be seen,” said Yahweh in Shemot 33:23.
Yahweh’s admonition
that if a person were to look upon Him then they would die, and
indeed, this whole event is puzzling when one considers a another
verse in the Exodus story - “And Yahweh spake unto Moses face to
face, as a man speaketh unto his friend,” Shemot 33:11. How can Yahweh say that man will die if
He sees Yahweh’s face yet this verse says that Moshe spoke “face
to face” with Yahweh? If
you think this is interesting then just read Amos 5:4, “For thus
saith Yahweh unto the house of Yisra’el, Seek ye me, and ye shall
live.” In one pasuk
(verse) Yahweh says to seek Him and live and another He says to
seek Him will result in death!
To bring more confusion here’s a prayer of Dawid from Tehillim
(Psalms) 27, “My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’ Your face,
Yahweh, I will seek. Do not hide your face from me, do not
turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper.” Is this more proof of a contradiction?
Say
what?
No.
There is no contradiction here.
Yahweh meant what He said when He told Moshe that to see
Him would result in death.
Yahweh also meant what He said when He called Yisra’el to
seek His face and live. How can this be?
Well, many apparent inconsistencies in the Scriptures are
simply misunderstandings. First of all, the Bible speaks to the
reader on many levels – the plain, the hidden, the physical, the
spiritual, the mystical, and so on.
Also, much is lost when the original Hebrew text is translated
into Greek, or English, or Spanish, or any other language.
Conflicts occur when verses are taken out of context and
each different Bible translation adds to the confusion.
Take for example the New International Version (NIV) that
completely deletes over 45 verses that are found in other Bible
translations. For example, you won’t find Mattitiyahu
(Matthew) 18:11 in the NIV.
Here’s what it says, "For the Son of man is come to save
that which was lost.” (This is just one reason why Emet
Ministries supports the new Restoration Scriptures Version available
at www.yourarmstoisrael.org)
In our present
dilemma it must be understood that Yahweh was not speaking from
both sides of His mouth. The “no man see me and live” pasuk is
perfectly in line with the “seek me and live” verse when a person
considers the teachings of Yahshua HaMoshiach.
“Then said Yahshua unto his talmidim (disciples), If any
man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his execution
stake, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose
it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it,”
Mattitiyahu 16:24-25. True life is found in death. When you die to your sinful desires and
fleshly nature, the yetzer hara, then and only then can you experience
the life of Messiah. When
a person “sees” Yahweh they do die – they die to themselves and
thus they are changed.
Avraham, Ya’acov,
Moshe, Dawid, and even Kefa all died and yet lived once they truly
experienced Yahweh. Rabbi Sha’ul (Paul) had a vision of Yahshua
on the road to Damascus and was never the same. He died to his ambitions and lived to
teach the message of Moshiach.
“I am crucified with Messiah: nevertheless I live; yet not
I, but Messiah liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the
flesh I live by the faith of the Son of Elohim, who loved me, and
gave himself for me,” Galatians 2:20.
So,
if a contradiction is a statement of opposites then there is no
contradiction in our weekly reading. Moshe saw Yahweh. Moshe died, yet Moshe lived. True life is found in dying to self and
living for Yahweh.
