Ephesians: The View from the Mishkan

By David Negley

The letter to the Ephesian believers is largely misunderstood these days. While everyone loves Ephesians 2:8 and 9, few are aware of the far-reaching implications to be found in the context surrounding that pair of verses. Ephesians is about kingdoms, community, and warfare. It is about the culmination of the Messianic Kingdom and the blending of Jews and Gentiles into one new community, never before dreamed of by either.


This little letter is almost a chapter-for-chapter exposition of Isaiah 55-59. The parallels are fascinating, and carry great significance when considering the meaning conveyed by Rabbi Sha'ul (AKA Paul the Apostle). Readers won't want to miss out on this study, with its insightful approach to the Scriptures!


"EPHESIANS" can serve as an excellent tool for personal study, devotional reading, or group discussion. It contains well-researched material, but is written in a style that is easily accessible to all readers, young and old. Regardless of age or experience, this work will open the reader's eyes to new ideas that will make a tremendous impact on his or her life.


Relevant and eye-opening, "EPHESIANS" is a must-read for everyone interested in the message of the Bible-Jews and Gentiles, Christians and Messianics, congregational leaders and "just plain members". At the core of this book lies a call for unity among followers of Messiah Yeshua, regardless of ethnic background.


The author has been part of the Messianic Jewish community for over thirty years, and brings to the discussion a great deal of information relating to the Jewish background of Rabbi Paul. So, prepare to dig into Ephesians from a perspective you've probably never heard before!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 13, 2014
• ISBN: 9781493162239

David Negley

David Negley obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies at Washington Bible College in Lanham, MD, where he studied between 1985 and 2001. From 1985 to 2007, he served on the Elder board at Emmanuel Messianic Jewish Congregation in Columbia, MD. For 10 years, he directed the education program at Emmanuel congregation, where his duties included the creation of a program for training Jews and Gentiles on how to integrate together into a common community. Since 2000, he has observed the growing debate within the Messianic Jewish community over the status of Gentiles who join the community. In his new book, he discusses the issues surrounding this debate and examines them in the light of the "Letter to the EPHESIANS.”

Book preview

Copyright © 2014 by David Negley.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

All Scripture quotations are from the Complete Jewish Bible by David Stern, published by Messianic Jewish Publishers (June 1, 1998); English Version; ISBN-10: 9653590189, ISBN-13: 978-9653590182 unless otherwise noted.

Rev. date: 02/05/2014

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Contents

Introduction

Getting Up to Speed

Immediate Context

Hashem’s Secret Plan—Unity from the Beginning

Competing Empires

Behold, We Turn to the Gentiles!

Gentiles in a Jewish Movement?

The Open, Sacred, Secret

Close of Chapter 1

One God, One People

Gifts from Above

Do, and Do Not

Living Out the Torah

Once You Were Darkness, But Now…

Messianic Mishpacha

Messianic Armor

Wrapping It Up

Bibliography

Introduction

Shalom!

Welcome to first century Ephesus!

The letters of Rabbi Sha’ul¹ have been the topic of much study ever since they were written. They are beloved to some, and maligned by others. The reason for this difference of opinion lies in the fact that most readers approach these writings as though they were composed in the modern era of industry and technology, and mailed to recipients who had already lived through the past 2,000 years of theological debate. Few approach this letter with any real objectivity. Before we ever read it, we have already concluded that we know the author’s intention in writing, and that we are only mining for nuggets—looking for those short, pithy sayings that we can use as sound bites to prove our case in theological arguments.

This has led us to a situation where Ephesians is much beloved by many, but poorly understood by those very same readers. This short writing by Rabbi Sha’ul has been underestimated in many ways, and its most important teachings have been long neglected. The purpose of this study is to help bring to the fore some of the Jewish background which will help you recognize the treasures of a Messianic Perspective. It is our hope and prayer that you will develop a whole new way of perceiving the Messiah, and the covenant community that we call, His People.

In order to achieve this aim, we will attempt to help you rediscover the first century perspective held by both Rabbi Sha’ul and his Ephesian readers. To this end, we will be spending a great deal of time on foundational topics relating to Israel, the Israeli Monarchy, the ongoing application of the Torah, Hashem’s covenants with Israel, and the role of Yeshua² as King Mashiach.³

Once we have adjusted our thinking to be more attuned to Jewish topics, we will find that our understanding of Rabbi Sha’ul’s letter to the believers in Ephesus will be transformed, even as we read. Rather than a source book for two or three sound bites, this letter will become the handbook for building a Messianic ecclesiology.⁴ It is the only book of the Bible that specifically addresses the topic of how and why Gentiles should be admitted into the community of those who follow Yeshua as Messiah. The first Messianic community started as a purely Jewish religious expression—a branch of Judaism, pure and simple. By studying this letter, we will be able to better understand what the first Messianic believers expected to happen when Jews and Gentiles came together to form their first joint communities. As we study together, we will arrive at a position that is both theologically accurate and also in line with the model we see developed in the book of Acts.

Methodology

While reading this material, you are strongly encouraged to read through the letter to the Ephesians several times. The goal of this study is to help you develop a comprehensive view of the letter, not simply cherry-pick a favorite verse or two. It is a short letter which can be read in less than a half-hour. By the time you have finished this study, you should have read through Ephesians at least 10-15 times. This technique is the best avenue to understanding the topic of the Messianic Body, as envisioned by the man who set up these communities in the first place.

Caveat

When engaging in a study of this sort, we have to be aware that our readers will represent a wide range of backgrounds and education. So, for some, what you find here will seem like very top-shelf material, while to others, this study may seem rather simplistic. Please be aware that the author has had to make numerous decisions about what to cover, and at what level of detail, in order to remain helpful and intelligible to the most people.

By definition, we will be delving into a controversial topic—the nature of the Messianic Community, and how Jews and Gentiles should relate to one another in living out the calling of Hashem.⁵ Some will agree with everything presented here, while others will have serious problems with these views. If you have questions or concerns regarding what you read here, please feel free to contact the author at the email address included in the biographical material provided. Perhaps we can resolve our differences of opinion, or we can add your thoughts to future releases of this book.

The underlying philosophy held by the author is that we should all be engaged in the discussion. If we’re talking, then we are moving in a positive direction. When we stop talking, we remove ourselves from the ongoing conversation, and we all lose out.

Dedication

Which reminds me—I would like to take a moment to thank several people for their support and assistance with the writing of this work. Without them, I would never have had the courage to present these ideas to the world.

First and foremost, there is my kind and patient wife, whose constant support was invaluable to the completion of this project. Then, there are my two main reviewers, Dr. Roy Blizzard and Rick Spurlock. Their critiques and suggestions have made this a much better work. Additionally, I want to thank my long-time friend and study partner, Rosh William Scott.

Of course, any weaknesses you may find in this book are solely the responsibility of the author.

With that said… let’s get started!

David Negley

Germantown, MD

January 1, 2014

Getting Up to Speed

A Review of Israeli History

Most study guides like this, designed to lead the reader through a particular book of the Bible, tend to start with the date at which the book or letter was written, and move forward from there. However, since you are reading this, we take for granted that you are looking for the Messianic Perspective on the letter to the Ephesians. That is why we won’t be following the usual approach. Instead, we are going to start off by reviewing some Israeli history in order to bring us up to speed.

Thumbnail Sketch

We can’t cover all the details in this brief space, of course. To do so would require that we duplicate most of the Bible! But before we can jump into a study of Ephesians (or any of the Messianic writings), we need to review some of the key events that led up to the times in which Rabbi Sha’ul and his friends lived. This will give us a feel for some of the attitudes and ideas that were prevalent in the first century.

The history of Israel can be divided into several major sections. Essentially, Israel started as a single, unified body. Over time, there was a split. After this division of the nation into two parts, each went into captivity separately. Finally, the nation was regathered, creating what we know as Israel by the time of the first century.

The Call of a Unified People

It may not be immediately obvious why it is important to know about these developments in the history of Israel. How could the calling of Abraham, and the covenants Hashem made with the Hebrew people, possibly be relevant to the people of Ephesus? But when we finally start talking about the letter to the Ephesians, you will see the significance of the covenants, and how they impact the thinking of Sha’ul and his disciples in Ephesus.

A Single Family

The call of Avraham⁶ is a famous story, recorded for us in the first few verses of Bereisheet/Genesis 12. If you review that passage, you will find that there were three promises given to Avraham as part of the covenant with Hashem:

• Land

The territory on the Mediterranean coast was explicitly promised to Avraham and his descendants. In fact, if we look at the dimensions of the area deeded to Avraham, we find that it includes quite a sizeable piece of territory, encompassing all of modern Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq.

• People

At the time this promise was given, Avraham was childless, making the prospect of