Marty Solomon Sunday

Hey, everybody, I started the first service by singing nickelback, so you

had to be there. I guess we won't do that again. Here's context

and stuff, you know, but we will start here. We'll deal with

what are those things hanging off of his peans? We'll just deal with those

right away. I'm a Jewish believer, follower of Jesus, and so God

asked the Jewish people in numbers fifteen to always put tassels on the corners of

their garments to remember his commands. And so I have what's called the talit

on, and that's what those are. And now you don't have to worry

about it for the next twenty minutes. I find it's the greatest introduction that

I can do. So there you go with that. I want to dive

in because I got a lot of ground to cover before the sun sets.

How about that? Okay, we are they They asked me to talk about

aen tova. That is the first time I've been able I've been invited or

asked to speak on one of my favorite lessons. And at first you're like,

oh, that's kind of like a that's a that's kind of a side

topic, and it's not ain Tovaugh. In the rabbinical mind, it's called

the good Eye, and it sits at the bottom of so much stuff,

and I think could be one of the most foundational relevant conversations we could have

as we think about Christian theology as it relates to Jesus a Jewish rabbi.

And so with that, I'm going to dive into Matthew chapter six, and

we're going to go here. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,

where moss and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moss and vermin do not

destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your

treasure is, there your heart will be also. And I know you've already

stopped listening because we're so familiar with us verse don't do it. Lean into

this. Jesus is trying to say that where your focus is, where your

treasure is, where your perspective is pointed, is where your heart will be.

There is a Jewish concept called the good eye say aien Tova allen Tova's

the good eye. It's also juxtaposed against allen ra Ah say aien ra Ah,

the evil eye or the bad eye, and judaism. A good eye

is as an eye that sees the world. It's the foundation of generosity.

The good eye, allen Toova, is an eye that thinks there's more than

enough to go around. There's more than enough goodness. I had a teacher

once say, what you look for, you will find. If you want

to find the evil, if you want to see the bad, if you

want to find all the stuff to despair about and be angry about, guess

what you'll find lots of it. But if you want to discipline yourself to

look for the good, guess what you will equally find the good. That's

called the good eye, and it's the foundation for generosity aien Chova. What's

interesting is whenever Jesus talks about generosity, do you know what he always links

it to worry. Whenever Jesus teaches on generosity, either the teaching right before

it or the teaching right after it will be a teaching on worry. Because

worry is rooted in nien rah Ah. It says it's not enough to go

around. It's a posture of scarcity. It's a it's a posture of self

preservation. There's not enough get away. It's rooted and built upon a foundation

of fear. And so there's this conversation about aien chova, and n Jesus

just said, where you put your focus, where your treasure is, that's

where your heart's going to be. Notice what he says next a really weird

teaching that when we often have read it, we're like, this is just

a weird thing to say, Jesus. But now that you know about aenchova,

it makes more sense. The translators even have a hard time because they're

like, it just feels weird to say. The eye is the lamp of

the body if your eyes are good, and so they translated often as healthy

or unhealthy. But the phrase there is aen tova. If they were saying

in the Rabbinic Hebrew, the eye is the lamp of the body if your

eyes are healthy. If you have a aen tova, if you have a

good eye, your whole body will be full of light. Excuse me,

the rabbinical The Rabbinical commentary linked aien tova with light light in your eyes.

If your eyes are full of light, it means that you you have a

bright outlook. The Talmud said that if somebody wrongs you, If somebody wronged

you and there's any reason like it's probably the they're a jerk. But maybe

there's the slightest reason that they didn't mean to be a jerk, and they

meant to do this. The Talmud says, if you can come up with

any reason why they did it with good intentions, you have to give them

the benefit of the doubt any reason. It's ninety five percent sure that they're

a jerk, but five percent maybe they meant the right thing. You have

to assume they meant the right thing. That's ayeen tova. Assume the best

in others, Assume the best in your enemies. Uh oh, don't worry,

we'll get there by the time we're done. If your eye is unhealthy,

if you have ayen ra ah, your whole body will be full of

darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, How great is that

darkness? Jesus says, If you have a pessimistic outlook, if you don't

see the good in people, if you're not looking with generosity to the world

around you, it's gonna change everything, ruin everything. How great is that

darkness? No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one

and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise

the other. You cannot serve both God and money. You can't say to

yourself, well, I'm going to be a realist over here, but have

a theological good eye. They won't They're not going to work together. Your

good eye has to be a good eye. It has to be the same

the thing that pervades your your your body, and your soul from top to

bottom. It's a it's a thing that fills you with light. So I

wanted to look at some of these other references that the Rabbis point to when

they talk about eyes and light. And here's what's going to be interesting as

we look at these passages. When we look at these passages about light in

the eyes and aen tova, whenever you see light in the eyes, the

Rabbis will connect it to aen toba. Aen toba is light to the eyes.

It gives you a bright outlook whenever you see it. In the Old

Testament, you are often going to find a conversation about two things, your

sin and your enemies. Those are two weird things. To talk about when

it comes to Diane Toba. So let's talk about it. Proverbs fifteen,

verse thirty Light in a messenger's eyes. See, I think we always read

that. We're like, oh, that's an interesting figure of speech. It's

ayen tova. Light in a messenger's eyes brings joy to the heart, and

good news gives health to the bones. You can communicate the exact same message,

like the same words, the same data, but you can do it

with aene tova. Or you can communicate the same message with ayen ra ah

and we'll pick up on it. You'll say the same thing, but you

will communicate it with aine tova and it brings joy. Or you can communicate

it with ayen ra Ah and we're gonna be like, oh, okay,

we pick up on this. By the way, this is at the root

of so much Christian theology because we talk about the good news, but it

usually sounds like really bad news, doesn't it, Like we call it the

gospel. We call it like I've got good news from you. You're destined

for hell, and you're like, where's the good one? Where's the good

news? So we can communicate theology with ayen ra never say it directly,

and yet people pick up on this. This is why I had some conversations

with people in the lobby after first service. And I don't know venture church.

Outside of a few relationships. I've never even been here. I've got

a buddy named Peter Hartwig. Nobody can't anyway. He says, he knows

you guys, and I've got a few connections here. But there are some

people out after first service said I just I haven't been able to get connected

at church. But I liked this place. And underneath all the conversation was

this sense of like, you guys are holding the gospel a particular way.

You can hold the gospel, or you can hold the gospel. And this

is aien Tova and ayen ra. Let's go to how about Psalm the thirteen

Psalm thirteen, How long Lord, will you forget me forever? How long

will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my

thoughts day after day? Have sorrow in my heart? How long will my

enemy there's enemy, enemy talk? How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Look on me an answer, Lord, my God give by the way

this Psalm, this person is wrestling with ayen tova, because sometimes it's very

very difficult. This is not like a glossy, shallow surface prosperity gospel,

like aen tova it's always good. This is like, this is a deeply

rooted ayentova. And sometimes it's very very hard to have eyen tova. Can

I get an amen? Sometimes life has lots of reasons to despair. Sometimes

the diagnosis has just come, sometimes health problems, sometimes relationships, sometimes the

divorce papers were finalized. Sometimes, and it's very very difficult to just be

like ayeen tova. And here's the psalmist and ps I'm thirteen saying how long

I don't have eyeen I believe the guy said to Jesus, But help me

in my unbelief. I want look on me an answer, Lord, my

God, give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death.

God. I need I need eyen Tova. I don't have it today,

but I cry out for it. I need it because I know I'm in

a very dangerous place, surrounded by my enemies, thinking about my sin,

thinking about my situation. I need ian tova. My enemy will say I

have overcome him. My foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust

in your unfailing love. My heart rejoices in your salvation. Here's a psalmist

trying to plant their feet in praise and worship, trying to plant their feet

and ain tova as almost a subversive act of faithfulness. Their life is flying

apart, but they're trying. They're showing up, and they're just trying to

say day and night, night and day and cens arize. They don't feel

like it at all, but they still sing. You are worthy of it

all. Maybe you've been there before. Sometimes I just sit in a room

like this and I don't sing at all, and I let all of you

sing for me, because that's what it feels like to be in the middle

of Psalm thirteen. I will sing the Lord's praise for he has been good

to me. Sometimes I don't feel the goodness, but sometimes I have to

remind myself in the middle of those aien rah days, God has been good

to me. Give me ayen tova. Then there's some let's see here some

nineteen. This is the opposite. This is the opposite palm. So the

two psalmists here need to get together and have a cup of coffee. The

heavens declare the glory of God. The sky has proclaimed the work of his

hands. Day after day they pour forth speech, night after night, they

reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words. No sound

has heard from them. Yet their voice goes out, and all the earth

their words. The ends of the world and the heavens. God has pitched

a tent for the sun. It's like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,

like a champion rejoicing to run his course. And the psamis and some

thirteen is like come on. But sometimes ayen Tova is where we come out

of. Sometimes we're in Psalm thirteen, sometimes we're in Psalm nineteen. And

yet it rise that one into the heavens and makes its circuit to the other.

Nothing is deprived of its warmth. The law of the Lord is perfect,

refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making the

wise simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the

heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

We know where ayen Tooba comes from, at least part of it.

It's this word that we can go to. It's this scripture and text that

we can meditate on day and night, and will be like trees planted by

streams of living water, always bearing its fruit and season. We know where

we can be reminded about Aien Toba. The Sama says, the world is

good, God is glorious. I know where to find light for my eyes.

Notice where he goes next. Now I start thinking about the scripture.

The fear of the Lord is pure and during forever. The decrees of the

Lord are firm, and all of them righteous. They are more precious than

gold, and much pure gold. They're sweeter than honey, than honey from

the honeycomb. By them, your servant is warned, and keeping them there

is great reward. But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden

faults? Where does great praise and aien chauva lead the psalmist to their own

self reflection? Because it's the proper way to approach your sin Aien soauvaugh is

the healthy place to look your sin square in the face and say, I

see you, but you don't define me. Because the goodness is better than

the badness. To put it in Romans language, how much more if Adam

sinned and death entered the world through one man, how much more the gift

through one man, Paul. The whole scripture is always trying to remind us

of how aienchouva changes. And yet what does Christian theology often do. It

just drags us to our sin and says, stare at it, and as

we get weighed down with guilt and shame, and it gives us yen ra

ah, and we just kind of end up groveling around. But I Aintva

gives us the proper place and the proper way to approach our sin and square,

stare at square in the face, and face up with confession and repentance.

Because I Aintva. There's enough to go around. There's enough forgiveness,

there's enough love, there's enough grace, the whole creation shouting the glory of

God. Who can discern their own errors, forgive my hidden faults. Keep

your servant also from willful sins. May they not rule over me. Then

I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May these words of my

mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord,

my Rock and my redeemer. Let's look at one more sum. We're going

to go to some thirty eight My wounds fester and are loesome because of my

sinful So what are we talking about? Our sinful folly, Our sinful folly.

I am bowed down and brought very low. All day long I go

about mourning. My back is filled with searing pain. There is no health

in my body. I am feeble and utterly crushed. I've grown in anguish

of heart. Anybody been there? Anybody ever made a total mess of their

lives because of their own sinful rebellion and their participation in some pretty ugly stuff.

Yeah, we've been there. Here's a psalmist. I am feeble and

utterly crushed. I grown in anguish of heart. All my longings lie open

before you, Lord. My sign is not hidden from you. All my

heart pounds, my strength fails me. Even the light has gone from my

eyes. My sin is pulling at ayen Tova like somebody something is trying to

steal my ayen Tovah, And God I know, don't let it be.

My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds. My neighbors stay far

away, those who want to kill me set their traps. So again,

light in the eyes connected to what two things? Sin enemies On one hand,

I have my sin. On the other hand, I have my enemies,

and these seem to be the two threats that want to pull away at

my eyen tova. I'm sure that's not relevant for us today. This is

what I see everywhere that I go. Wanna. We want to we want

to participate in the gospel, we want to celebrate the goodness of God.

And yet what's the one thing that everybody On one hand, you have the

people that are like, but but but my sin, but my sin,

and it like defines us. I guess somehow puts us in a cocoon of

shame. There's no eyen tova because of my sin. Or if it's not

that, it's often all those people, you know, those other people.

The Bible talks about enemies. We have plenty of them. Have you been

on Facebook lately? Like all those people, they have a tendency of stripping

away my ayen souvall, But what about that political party? But what about

that ideology? But what about those people because they're they're winning, think about

all of our political I don't know if you guys know this, I got

bad news. This is an election year, so I don't care what side

of the of the political discourse you are on. But the narrative that you

will be handed by both sides is but those people are going to ruin the

world. That is not ayen Tova. That is ayen ra A. It's

the worst raha of ra Ah. It makes people enemies. It is not

the gospel. It is not the Gospel. I did not do this in

first service. All right, let's go. Apparently God knows that somebody here

needs to hear about and I'm just kidding, just kidding. All right,

let's come to Ezra. Don't have enough time, Sure I do, I'm

not sure I do. But here we go, Ezra ninety eight. But

for but now, for a brief moment, the Lord our God has here's

Ezra. Ezra's talking to a bunch of exiles who have come back from from

Persia, from Babylon, Babylonian Babylonian exile, and now they're trying to rebuild,

and they're already falling into compromise. They haven't been back for two breaths

yet, and they're already compromising. There are they've already intermarried with pagan folks

that are bringing their idolatry with them into the relationships. Don't focus on the

inner marriage, focus on the idolatry. It's a weird different world, but

you get the point, Okay. And they're trying to deal with this.

We haven't been back for two seconds, and and Ezra's like, but now

for a brief moment, the Lord, our God has been gracious in leaving

us a remnant and giving us a firm place in his sanctuary, and so

our God gives So what are they dealing with. They're dealing with their corporate

sin. And what does Ezra say in the middle of the discourse, even

as we look at our own rebellion, on our own sin, I'm not

gonna let it define our moment because God's given us hope. In Jesus,

we would say, God's given us the resurrection. We're not going to be

defined by how stupid we can be. We're not going to be defined by

our rebellion in our sin. God's given us a little relief from our bondage.

One second. Thank you. So here's what I want to do.

I want to jump back and look at the context of Ezra. That passage

comes in a much larger passage. So let's look at it real quick like

then at the evening sacrifice. This is Ezra talking from my self abasement,

with my tunic and my cloak has talait, his garment that has his tasks

on it. He's torn it because he's in mourning, because he's grieving,

because he's lamenting. How stupid he and God's people can be? How can

we end up here? We were just in Babylon, we were just in

exile. How can this be true? And he's face down on the ground

and his clothes are torn, And I'm on my knees with my hands spread

out to the Lord, my God, and I prayed. I am too

ashamed and disgraced, my God to lift my face to you. Because our

sins are higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached to the heavens.

From the days of our ancestors until now, our guilt has been great

because of our sins, we and our kings and our priests have been subjected

to the sword and captivity as as like have you been watching what we've been

through to pillage and humiliation at the hand of foreign kings as it is today?

And then the passage we looked at. But now for a brief moment.

Our God has been gracious and leaving us a remnant and giving us a

firm place in the sanctuary. And so our God gives a little light to

our eyes, little layen Chova, and a little relief in our bondage.

Like I think the passage almost literally says this. Ezra goes from this posture

of face down on the ground, close torn. We are so pathetic,

we're so ridiculous, we're so sinful. How could we end up here?

And then he kind of looks up. It's almost like God lifts his chin

and he looks up and he goes. Of course, of course, God's

given us a little relief in our bondage. He's given us a little hope,

a little light to our eyes. He's given us a place. Now,

watch what happens as they keep moving, Watch what this does to his

perspective. Though we are slaves, our God has not forsaken us in our

bondage. He has shown us kindness in the sight of the kings of Persia.

Notice like he's now he was seeing nothing but sin and despair and grows,

But now he's got ayen Tova just a little and it's enough to redefine

what he sees in the world as he starts to get up and look around,

shown us kindness in the sight of the kings of Persia. He's granted

us new life to rebuild the House of God and repair its ruins. He

has given us a wall of protection in Jerusalem and Judah. But now,

our God, what can we say after this? So he was despairing,

now he's got hope. And now he turns back around to stare their sin

square in the face? What can we say after this? For we have

forsaken the commands you gave to the servants the prophets when you said this land

you are entering to possess as a land polluted by the corruption of its peoples,

by their detestable practices. They have filled it with their impurity. From

what to the other? Therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to

their sons, or take their daughters for your sons, and not seek a

treaty of friendship with them at any time that you may be strong and eat

the good things of the land and leave it to your children as an everlasting

inheritance. What has happened to us as a result of our own evil deeds

and great guilt. And yet our God, you have punished us less than

our sins deserved, and have given us a remnant like this, like there

is a there is a a ain Tova has changed his perspective. He was

despairing. He now has hope. But notice this hope doesn't mean that he

just walks away and doesn't deal with his rebellion and sin aint Sova allows him

to go. Okay, So about that, sin, Let's be honest about

that. Now watch shall we break the commands again and intermarriate with the peoples

who commit such a testable practices? Would you not be angry enough with us

to destroy us, leaving us no remnant or survivor. This whole conversation is

sitting couched in the context of all these outsiders, these enemies, these other

people, always this relationship with AYM Tobaugh. So here's what I want to

do. I want to close by going to the Gospel of Luke. The

Gospel of Luke records what seems like the same teaching from Jesus, and yet

it is different. You are going to recognize the pieces of this teaching from

Luke, but they will be different than the other gospels in which you find

them. And I think there's something instructive for us here, potentially today,

Luke, eleven, Lord the God of Israel, you are righteous. Nope,

this is Ezra. Oh there we go. I am sorry, that's

my bad. As the crowds increase, Jesus said, this is a wicked

generation asked for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign

of Jonah. So Jesus is addressing all the religious people. That's you guys,

and He's like, they want to sign, but they're a wicked generation

and the only sign they're gonna get is a sign of Jonah. And I

know that a lot of Christians in the room are like, I know what

the sign of Jonah is. It's three days and three nights in the belly

of the earth. It's the resurrection. No, there is a passage where

you could maybe have that conversation, but he's not gonna say that here.

And Luke, he's having with a Jewish conversation about the sign of Jonah and

a Jewish perspective. The sign of Jonah was the sign that the Gentiles believe.

Remember Jonah. Jonah was the guy who was sent to Ninevah. He

preaches literally the worst sermon in Jewish history. It's one sentence long. He

doesn't his heart's not in it. He doesn't even want to be there.

He's like, forty days in the city of Nineva will be destroyed, see

you later. And all Ninevah repents. They put on sackcloth and ashes,

and Jonah's angry. Jonah has ayen rah because his enemies are showing up.

His enemies want to love God. And God's prophet is like, no,

I'm angry. So Jesus said, this wicked generation, all these church people,

they want to sign from me. I'll tell you the sign that they're

gonna get. The sign they're gonna get is that all the outsiders want to

love me. The gentiles are believing this. Jesus says to the Pharisees,

do you want to sign? Look around as far as as for As Jonah

was a sign to the Ninevite, so will the Son of Man be to

this generation. The Queen of the South will rise. Queen of the South.

She's a pagan, she was a pagan outsider, and yet she will

rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them. For

she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom. And

now someone greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will stand up

a judgment and condemn these religious people because they repented at the preaching of Jonah.

But now something even greater than Jonah's here. Jesus says, you want

to be on board with the thing the Kingdom of God is doing. Look

around. The Kingdom of God is everywhere where you least expect it to be.

And you keep wanting me to show up right here, But look around,

because I'm showing up everywhere everywhere else. So what is Jesus going to

say next? We're talking about the sin of the religious people as it pertains

to their enemies. You don't suppose, yeah, you do. Suppose no

one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it's hidden or under

a bowl. Instead, they put it on a stand so that all that

come near may see the light. And we're like, I've heard this teach

before. It's about us being the light of the world. Wrong again,

not this time. Watch your eye is the lamp of the body. This

lamp isn't about shining outside the world. This lamp and Luke eleven is the

lamp inside of you. And Jesus looks at the religious pharisees and he says,

why are you putting your lamp, the lamp of the gospel, the

lamp of what God wants to do in the world. Why are you hiding

it? Because it's killing your insides, your whole body. When your eyes

are healthy, your whole body is full of light, Uncover the lamp.

Remember the goodness of God, remember the Gospel, Remember the thing that Jesus

is doing in the world. But when your eye is bad and unhealthy,

your body is full of darkness. See to it then that the light within

you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light

and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light

as when a lamp shines its light on you. I would go back here,

and I would sit on this verse right here. This is a challenge

for me as we end our time this morning, see to it that the

light within you is not darkness. I'm not good at this, guys,

I'm not good. I preach this lesson and I like it a lot,

and it's really cool I am a horrible cynic. People ask me all the

time, how in the world do you do what you do and stay in

the church. God, give light to my eyes, Give light to my

eyes. I don't need more enemies. I don't need more those peoples in

my life. I don't need more focus on sin, my sin, their

sin. I need light in my eyes. I need to I need to

focus on. I need to see your redemption, your reconciliation, your shalom,

your goodness, your graciousness, your forgiveness, your faithfulness. I need

light to my eyes. I need to stand there like Moses and hear God

say I am out on nie outn't nigh, compassionate and gracious, slow to

anger, and abounding and love and faithfulness and truth, showing love to a

thousand generations of those that love me, paying back sin to three, but

a thousand to three, a thousand to three. And yet when you go

home today and you log onto social media and you start scrolling through your reels

and your tiktoks, and I guess that's bammed. Now when you go and

you start reading the news, and there's some there's a really legitimate things that

we're reading about and stuff that's going on in our world today really legitimate things.

To be careful. It doesn't steal your light. Because if your body

is full of darkness because of CNN or Fox or Facebook, how great is

that stinking darkness? To uncover the lamp because nobody puts a lamp under the

bowl, and somewhere along the way you received the gospel. Uncover the lamp

because God is at work in you, and God is at work in your

community, and God is at work in your friends, and God is at

work in your enemies. You want to sign as a sign of Jonah.

Make sure there's no see to it that the light within you is not covered.

It's not dark. Let's pray Jesus. Some of us here may be

in a place where we resonate with Psalm nineteen, the glory of the Lord

all creation, shouting your praise. We are brimming with ayen Tova. We're

giving it away to those who lack it. Some of us might resonate with

Psalm thirteen. I am despairing, and I need light for my eyes.

Whatever it is, God, would you hear our prayer? Would you empower

us, would you enable us? Would you guide us? Would you direct

us. God, would your spirit at times, even the sword of the

Spirit, which is the Word of God, Would you use those things to

uncover the lamp that we seem to cover up with all of our ideolotry and

all of our sin and all of our idolatry. And we cover up a

lamp, and we let it be defined by all these things and all these

voices that are not your voice. God. Let us hear your voice,

let us hear the gospel. Let us let us be filled with light.

Your light give us Aintva Jus. We love you. We pray this in

your resurrected name. Amen.