Continued/expanded from here.
As we know, Elijah the Prophet was prophesied by Malachi and Ezra. The tradition that Elijah would return is engrained within the Jewish mind as much as the belief in Moshiach ben David (Messiah the Son of David). What is known of this Prophet, and what is known of his return?
Elijah was known as the Tishbite, or stranger (non-Jew) from Gilead. Gilead in the Bible refers to the area beyond the Jordan river in general; but in particular, the Balm of Gilead is also known as the Balm of Mecca. There are other indications that what is meant by Gilead in the Bible is the place of the sons of Ishmael:
Hosea 6:8 Gilead is a city of them that work iniquity, it is covered with footprints of blood.
This is certainly a valid description of Mecca before the Prophet Mohammad (saws) took it over. The city was full of idols, and the people had fought many battles against monotheism and shed the blood of many Muslims.
Micah 7:14 Tend Thy people with Thy staff, the flock of Thy heritage,
that dwell solitarily, as a forest in the midst of the fruitful field;
let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.
For centuries, Jewish tribes had lived in the Arabian peninsula.
Yet Jeremiah is perhaps the most interesting: in his prophecies, he speaks of a Balm in Gilead that will restore monotheism:
Jeremiah 46:11 Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt; in vain dost thou use many medicines; there is no cure for thee.
Out of Gilead came the cure--not out of many medicines (many gods), but out of one balm:
Jeremiah 8:17 For, behold, I will send serpents, basilisks, among you, which will not be charmed; and they shall bite you, saith the LORD. {S}
18 Though I would take comfort against sorrow, my heart is faint within me.
19 Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people from a
land far off: 'Is not the LORD in Zion? Is not her King in her?'--'Why
have they provoked Me with their graven images, and with strange
vanities?'--
20 'The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.'
21 For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I seized with anguish; I am black, appalment hath taken hold on me.
22 Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered? {S}
23 Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of
tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of
my people!
Jeremiah 22:6 For thus saith the LORD concerning the house of the king of
Judah: Thou art Gilead unto Me, the head of Lebanon; yet surely I will
make thee a wilderness, cities which are not inhabited.
7 And I will prepare destroyers against thee, every one with his
weapons; and they shall cut down thy choice cedars, and cast them into
the fire.
8 And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say
every man to his neighbour: 'Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this
great city?'
9 Then they shall answer: 'Because they forsook the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshipped other gods, and served them.'
The Jewish people rejected the Balm of Gilead, the return to monotheism-after having provoked the Lord God with their graven images and strange vanities; yet Egypt accepted the Balm, and was cured. This is the situation we see to this very day: Egypt has forsaken idolatry that was its heritage and clings to monotheism; yet Israel continues to practice strange magic and worships false gods.
Yet perhaps even more interesting still is that God counts Gilead among His children:
Psalm 108:8 God spoke in His holiness, that I would exult; that I would divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth. 9 Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the defence of my head; Judah is my sceptre.
God counts Gilead the same as He counts the sons of Israel as His own. Why would this be, if they had not returned to God completely and with purity of heart?
And what of the Gileadi, the Tishbite? What was prophesied of him? (to be continued.)
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Response to Question from a Jew
Islam teaches the Torah as being the word of Hashem. However, I have a question for Saffiya, what do you do where your Muslim faith tells you to rebel against the Torah (e.g. permitting you to eat all food from the sea).
Dear Yosef,
Thank you for your very important question. There are several things I would like to say about this:
1. First, as I explained earlier on my blog, the Torah we have is not the original from Moses at Sinai. It was compiled and edited by Ezra, a good man and a prophet. Although Ezra did his best, he was not Moses; he was not one of the prophets to whom the laws of God were revealed. According to Avot b’Rabbi Natan 34, it was Elijah whom Ezra said would come and give us the correct teachings. I believe that this refers to the Prophet Mohammad, as he fulfilled the prophecies concerning Elijah (which is a post I still have to write, but I touched on here and here).
2. The basic teachings of Islam and Judaism--the belief in only one God, and the nature of the Divine--are very similar. However, over time, God can alter His decrees. As an observant Jew, I am sure you believe this, although you don’t realize it; otherwise there would be no point in fasting on Yom Kippur. I can also give numerous examples from the Bible, but I will just list a few verses for you to read at home: Exo. 32:14 & Isa. 38:1-5. Even during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (saws), the law changed from not allowing alcohol during prayer to not allowing it at all. However, the final version of Islam is the law of God for all people for the rest of time.
3. Islam was revealed for all people, not just for one tribe. As such, God made it accessible to all people. All people includes the Jewish people, but also includes the rest of the world. The prophets foretold a day when Abraham’s faith would be for all of mankind: Zech. 14:9, Zeph. 3:9, Isa. 56:7. Islam lifted the burden of previous generations, and gave a law accessible to all nations and tribes.
Dear Yosef,
Thank you for your very important question. There are several things I would like to say about this:
1. First, as I explained earlier on my blog, the Torah we have is not the original from Moses at Sinai. It was compiled and edited by Ezra, a good man and a prophet. Although Ezra did his best, he was not Moses; he was not one of the prophets to whom the laws of God were revealed. According to Avot b’Rabbi Natan 34, it was Elijah whom Ezra said would come and give us the correct teachings. I believe that this refers to the Prophet Mohammad, as he fulfilled the prophecies concerning Elijah (which is a post I still have to write, but I touched on here and here).
2. The basic teachings of Islam and Judaism--the belief in only one God, and the nature of the Divine--are very similar. However, over time, God can alter His decrees. As an observant Jew, I am sure you believe this, although you don’t realize it; otherwise there would be no point in fasting on Yom Kippur. I can also give numerous examples from the Bible, but I will just list a few verses for you to read at home: Exo. 32:14 & Isa. 38:1-5. Even during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (saws), the law changed from not allowing alcohol during prayer to not allowing it at all. However, the final version of Islam is the law of God for all people for the rest of time.
3. Islam was revealed for all people, not just for one tribe. As such, God made it accessible to all people. All people includes the Jewish people, but also includes the rest of the world. The prophets foretold a day when Abraham’s faith would be for all of mankind: Zech. 14:9, Zeph. 3:9, Isa. 56:7. Islam lifted the burden of previous generations, and gave a law accessible to all nations and tribes.
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