Parashah Vayikra (2014): Salvation, Rest, and the Names of God
Harold Smith writes a newsletter and hosts the website www.hethathasanear.com. In a recent newsletter, he distinguishes between a common Christian view of salvation and a Jewish view: the former often understands salvation as acknowledging Yeshua, while the latter emphasizes entering God’s rest as described in the Tanakh.
“And He said, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’” — Exodus 33:14
“For thus says YHVH, the Holy One of Israel: ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved.’” — Isaiah 30:15
“Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the Elohim of my salvation; for You I wait all the day long.” — Psalm 25:5
Mr. Smith argues that English translations often obscure the God of Israel by substituting “Lord” for the divine names YHVH, Elohim, and Adonai. Curious, I sampled several English versions. The New International Version, King James Version, New King James Version, and English Standard Version together used “Lord” on average about 6,776 times, while the Complete Jewish Bible used it 658 times. The disparity helped me see his point about how language can blur distinctions between the Mighty One of Israel and His Son, Yeshua of Nazareth.
Justification, Sanctification, and Entering God’s Rest
The thrust of the article contrasts a common Christian idea—“being saved” as accepting Christ’s atoning work (justification)—with a Hebraic picture of salvation as a process of entering God’s rest, culminating in shalom: the lived confidence that God protects and sustains. To be fair, Christian sanctification speaks to this maturing process. Yet in everyday usage many Christians equate “saved” with a moment of assent, while Messianic Jews emphasize meeting the Messiah Yeshua and walking into His rest.
A Respectful Exchange
I shared the newsletter with a dear friend who identifies as a Christian Zionist—devoted to God’s purposes for Israel and the Jewish people. Her reply was heartfelt: she saw “truth mixed with deception,” felt the author “missed Yeshua,” and affirmed her faith in the triune God—Father, Yeshua our Savior, and the Holy Spirit as Teacher and Guide. She worried that the piece underplayed the new covenant fulfilled in Yeshua.
Here is the core of my response: I see no conflict in longing to enter God’s rest in Yeshua while honoring how Scripture teaches us to get there. Traditions (including our interpretive traditions) can become so sacred that we defend them rather than discuss them. I proposed that we “dig deeper” together.
Reasoning Together: I appealed to a classic Jewish hope: when Messiah comes, He will bring the fully correct, heart-written understanding of God’s word—the “new” covenant inscribed on our hearts. Until then, we pursue truth humbly—“seeing through a glass, darkly”—and we reason together (Isaiah 1:18) for mutual upbuilding.
Messiah First? Father First? Learning from Each Other
We arrive by different paths. I first encountered the Father before understanding the Son; my friend came to the Father through the Son. Both perspectives can enrich the Body. Yet I also believe my people—many of my Jewish brothers and sisters—still need to meet their Messiah. I hold that those who have died in faith will know Him at His return, and, as Yeshua says, “an hour is coming… when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live” (John 5:25).
How the Great Schism Shaped Theology
History matters. Within a few generations after Yeshua’s sacrifice, Messianic believers (called “the Way” in Acts) were cut off from Jewish spiritual life. The Bar Kokhba revolt (132–135 CE) and its aftermath deepened the rupture: believers in Yeshua rejected a false messiah and thus became suspect among many Jews, while imperial pressures and later Christian political power strained relations further. Rabbinic liturgy developed in ways that excluded Yeshua-believers; Roman policies penalized those who refused pagan worship. Over time, Christian theology developed largely apart from Judaism—the very soil in which the apostles learned Messiah from the Tanakh. The New Covenant writings, Jewish to the core, were delegitimized by recognized Jewish authorities, pushing believers into a theological “vacuum.”
Meanwhile, Judaism expended great energy refuting the claims of Yeshua—especially His divine self-identification: “Before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58). In my view, this energy sometimes constrained the open, iron-sharpening-iron debate for which Jewish learning is renowned.
Hope: Grafted Back, Together
Today, there is grace for healing. Replacement Theology—the notion that the Church replaces Israel—is being exposed as error. In Messiah’s return, I believe the ekklesia will be grafted-in corporately with believing Israel, and Yeshua will hold a mirror to both Church and Synagogue. The Scriptures will be made “new” and written upon all our hearts in a way that overflows narrow partisanship.
Local Dialogue, Larger Dream
Right now in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, a dialogue is beginning among leaders from the Jewish congregation, a new Messianic fellowship, a Messianic scholar, and several Evangelical pastors—with hopes of wider participation. This is a small but faithful step toward “reasoning together.”
My conviction: Jewish people need to know their Messiah; Christians need to reconnect with their Hebraic heritage. Both require courage—a willingness to follow truth wherever it leads.
A Prayer
Father in Heaven, teach us who You are, Your beautiful ways, and the relationship we can have with You. Open our hearts and minds to the knowledge of You through worship and our love for one another. Amen.
