Kabbalah, Mysticism, Scripture and the World

Many of you recognize that I have been searching for a deeper appreciation of Scripture in my walk with God.

I’ve been reading some Jewish commentaries in my pursuits and have drawn a deeper appreciation (through the Holy Spirit) of the life and times of the prophets and kings of Israel and Judah and their relation to God’s revelation of His annointed Son, Jesus Christ.

It was only natural I assume that my thirst for “more of God” led me to kabbalah – the mystical teachings of Jewish sages that was originally oral and only lately has been put down in written forms.

I was highly sceptical about what I would find and I always attempt to “test the spirits” (1 John 4:1) to see if there was value to be had in the kabbalah teachings.

Read on….

I. Brief History of Jewish Kabbalah:

The history of Jewish Kabbalah is surrounded by legends as is to be expected with any mystical teachings.

Perhaps I should define “mysticism” as given by Wikipedia (while not always appropriate, is appropriate in my case)

Mysticism: is the pursuit of achieving communion, identity with, or conscious awareness of ultimate reality, the Other, divinity, spiritual truth or God through direct experience, intuition, or insight.

For me, Jewish mysticism might have been a road to experience a deeper communion with God through spiritual insights into scripture that might not be readily apparent.

According to some:

Included in the Oral tradition is the Kabbalah, the very same tradition programmed into Adam, received by Abraham and now incorporated into the Torah body. In fact, Moses received four levels of interpretation on every aspect of the Torah. These four levels are called Pardes, meaning an “orchard.” The Hebrew letters of the word Pardes form an acronym standing for the four words;

Pshat—simple meaning Remez—allusion—what is hinted to in the text Drush—the homiletic interpretation Sod—the mystical dimension.

This means that the written text is actually layered with explanation. Moses transmitted this received tradition to Joshua, who in turn passed it on to the Elders and Prophets throughout the generations. There was always an inner circle that possessed knowledge of the mystical tradition. In a subsequent chapter we shall delve deeper into these four levels of interpretation. (source: Chabad.Org)

It is more than likely that Kabbalah as it exists today originated in India through influences through Phoencia and/or Persia.

Jewish mysticism and its proponents would have people believe that the ancient prophets (Elijah, Elisha, Daniel, Isaiah and their proteges – sons of the prophets) understood Kabbalah and from it gained their abilities to prophesy and perform miraculous feats.

II. Problems with Kabbalah

There are many problems with Kabbalah in its form today and the importance that it has begun to claim in the western world and in Hollywood.

Originally it is possible that Kabbalah was used as a vehicle to draw closer to God while still leaving salvation in the hands of God, though that form no longer exists – or if it does, it is hard to find in any current systems.

A.) Regarding the 4 levels of scripture interpretation

I agree with these (to some degree) as illustrated below:

Pshat: simple meaning, easy to understand.  The text itself with no Holy Spirit interpretation/integration.

Remez: allusions to events that occurred or will occur.  Also further “revealed” by the Holy Spirit of God.

Drush: Homiletic interpretation – having to do with preaching a text at a specific time – explaining a text in relation to an event – wedding, ordination, baptism, funeral

Sod: Mystical dimension.  Here is where I disagree (and strongly!).  For the kabbalah-ist, this is a seperate level of understanding, only attainable through hidden meanings, numbers (gematria) etc.  That these spiritual meanings become clear through hard work and study using formulas and systems and reveal the spiritual meaning.  But I do agree there is a Spiritual meaning that is only revealed by the Holy Spirit of God but is at work in Remez and Drush.

B.) Regarding salvation and reincarnation:

Ultimately Kabbalah-ists believe that salvation is attainable by progressing through different stages, or gates until they have an understanding of God and gain entry into paradise

If one does not progress far enough in one life, they proceed to the afterlife where they are reincarnated to begin again.

Each reincarnation brings the person closer to attaining salvation by understanding God more clearly and eternal life with God.

B.1) Regarding Salvation and Scripture:

In the Gospel of John we find:

John 5:39-40  “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me;  and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.

I think Jesus is clearly addressing the mystical practice of Kabbalah and gematria.  He makes it very clear that the scriptures testify of Him (the Messiah – the Savior), and people are unwilling to come to him to have life.

We see this clearly today as people try to work out their own salvation through systems and formulas, or outright deny the existence of God altogether.

B.2) Regarding Reincarnation and Scripture:

David clearly understood death as the end of the road for the individual:

Regarding his dead son:

2 Samuel 12:22-23  He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who knows, the LORD may be gracious to me, that the child may live.’  “But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”

David clearly understood that at his own death he would “got to him”, his son, and that one does not return.

1 Chronicles 17:11  11 “When your days are fulfilled that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up one of your descendants after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom.

Nathan told David that he would go to be with his fathers, signifying that his fathers were “somewhere” and not being reborn and reborn.

Then we have perhaps the most damning evidence from scripture itself against reincarnation:

Ecclesiastes 12:5-7  For man goes to his eternal home while mourners go about in the street.  6 Remember Him before the silver cord is broken and the golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed;  7 then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.

Solomon, the wisest and most knowledgeable of all Jewish thought and learning himself attested to one death, and the return to God.

Judaism CANNOT claim that the Kabbalah helps interpret scripture, as the belief system itself stands in stark contrast to the very teaching of scripture.

III.  Kabbalah in today’s world

Kabbalah has garnered much interest in today’s world.  Whether it is due to the lack of “unexplained” things, the paranormal or an absolute blindness to God, I do not know.

What I do know is this, what Hollywood does, popular culture imitates.  We see it over and over.

There is a huge movement of Kabbalah in Hollywood, and it has taken on a whole different meaning that any time before.  It is no longer about God at all, but about self-help and knowing the “right” name of God to get you what you want, when you want it.

From a recent article:

The [Kabbalah] Centre has transformed Kabbalah — considered by Jews to be the inner sanctum of Jewish devotion and thought — into generic, nondenominational mysticism.

…

The Centre calls Kabbalah “technology for the soul”. In traditional Kabbalist schools that have survived for centuries, the 72 names of God form the basis for meditation and ascetic practices. Here, though, all you need to do is glance at the letters to be infused with their healing and invigorating power.

….

In the Centre’s literature, each name is endowed with a quality that can readily be accessed — such as “defusing negative energy and stress”, “dumping depression” and “the power of prosperity”. You can even call the Centre for a free ten-minute personal consultation with a highly trained 72-names specialist on how to find the name that best suits your needs. (source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/article442729.ece)

IV. Conclusion and confirmation from God

A.) Conclusion:

While Kabbalah may have started as a genuine approach of drawing closer to God spiritually without the focus on self-help, salvation and eternal life, it has degraded into something entirely wicked and against God.  It is now amoral and a tool to get people to feel better about themselves rather than seeking God humbly and meekly.  There is no fear, no revereance of God in this.  There is no AWE of God in this.  It is dangerous and ultimately it is a rejection of the Messiah – Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

I cannot emphasize enough the danger in pursuing such a system.  While I agree that mathematics and numbers of words and names may play an important role in Biblical prophecy, it cannot replace God as the author and perfecter of Salvation, nor make us more like God.

The only systems that help us walk closer to God are those that glorify God and not ourselves.  Helping the poor, those in prison, the widows, the homeless.  Loving our neighbors as ourselves and as Christ loved us.  Love and be in awe of God and His awesome power and authority.

B.) Confirmation from God

This morning as I was talking to one of my coworkers about Kabbalah and here is the conversation through Windows Instant Messenger:

She said: now I remember what I was thinking yesterday – the 72 names of God…..
I said: yeah…apparently kabbalah began as a form of drawing closer to God spiritually but has since turned into a search for eternal life and reincarnation – (even among a lot of Jews)
I said: reminds me of the scripture:
John 5:38-40   38 “You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent.  39 “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me;  40 and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.

I said: that is basically what kabbalah had turned into…systems of numbers trying to “decode” God”

I said this statement at approximately 7:49 AM and I still have the IM up on my computer as I write this.

Every morning she sends a daily devotional that she receives from Max Lucado to me and several others on her email list.  She does this daily and I look forward to reading them.

Keep in mind that I had not read the devotion for today as we were having this conversation.

At approximately 7:51 AM I receive this devotional:

So the final conclusion is this:

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.  For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.

Prayerfully,

Chris