Prayer Shawl

[Miss Molly]

Is anyone familiar with the prayer shawl movement that seems to be sweeping the churches? It makes me nervous...:scratch

[Sing4Him]

:wave Molly.. we have dealt with this topic before:


Start with post 65 and on:

http://www.rr-bb.com/showthread.php?t=19666&highlight=prayer+shawl&page=4

Sing4Him:
No items, methods, blankets, candles, clothing, marches, walks, mapping. repetitions, etc. will cause your prayer to be any "closer" than speaking to the Savior ANYWHERE.

Heb 4:16 tells us to Go BOLDLY to the Throne of Grace

Jesus is always there to hear and answer our every prayer.. even if one was standing on a tiptoe on top of a log in a forest.


Beware of man's methodologies and also realize that Jesus is our New Covenant.

Beware of Contemplative Prayer practices.. see apostasy forum stickies on this.


(FYI-- this is also a newer ploy of false teacher Rob Bell and the Emergent Church! http://thewordunbroken.blogspot.com/...ke-part-1.html )

[Sing4Him]

Dust or Blowing Smoke? (Part 1)
“In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” (Genesis 3:19).

“For He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust” (Psalm 102:14).


I like to stay current in what’s going on in the Hebrew world, both good and bad. I love to read, recite, and write the Hebrew Scriptures. I wouldn’t say that I’m any kind of expert in the Hebrew language any more than I would say I were a scholar in the English language. But I love it. It’s in my blood. What can I say?

So when I read Pastor Ken Silva’s article, “Rob Bell: Covered in the Dust of the Rabbi,” it piqued my curiosity a bit. So I clicked on the link and tuned in to hear the Rob Bell sermon at Willow Creek Association.

Now, I don’t like to critique sermons… for several reasons; the least of which is, it bothers me that my sermon might be critiqued (just a little). It’s not that I’m worried that someone might find fault in what I’ve taught. As a pastor, I’m burdened for the soul that would go over my sermon who doesn’t have a clue to whom the Holy Spirit is trying to reach in our congregation. That person who is critiquing may think that it would have been better had I said this, than that. But what the Holy Spirit wanted was to reach a certain person or persons in this congregation with that instead of this. The reason we have our messages available on Sermon Audio is primarily for our congregation. Only occasionally will I provide a link to my messages or Bible studies in conjunction with an article.

The main reason I don't like to do it is because it is tedious and laborious work. I would much rather be reading the Bible with my wife and daughter.

That said, I must say that I wouldn’t even have commented upon this message from Rob Bell if it were not fundamentally misleading. Further, he used his “knowledge” of rabbinical Judaism to qualify himself in order to draw his very unsettling conclusions… and draw his audience in to agree with him because it actually sounds very convincing to the undiscerning Bible student.

The Prayer Shawl

"Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue: and it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: that ye may remember, and do all My commandments, and be holy unto your God" (Numbers 15:38-40).

Mr. Bell begins with Numbers 15:38 to introduce the Hebrew prayer shawl. The modern Hebrew word for this is Talliyt (or Tallit), which comes from the root Talah, meaning “to hang.” In the Bible the Talliyt is referred to by three words that have different meanings, but can also be used interchangeably: Kanaf (or Canaph), Beged, or K’sut. Kanaf means “wing“ and Beged means “garment.” K’sut means “covering” or “veil” (Deuteronomy 22:12). Kanaf, the word Rob Bell uses can also be translated as “hem” or “border” in English. Mr. Bell also mentions the Tziytzit, the “fringes” or “tassels.” He did omit the Petiyl Tekelet, the “ribband of blue” in the corners; however, an omission of that point doesn’t make it necessary for any sermon.

Let’s assume that what Rob Bell introduces is generally correct about the prayer shawl because I don’t want this article to turn into a Hebrew lesson. Nevertheless, I want to show you two things with his introduction of the prayer shawl that set up a series of misleading, even contradictory points.
“But unto you that fear My name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in His wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall” (Malachi 4:2).

First, I don’t discount that Malachi 4:2 was the verse that was fulfilled in Messiah as the woman with the 12-year issue of blood was healed when she touched the hem of Jesus’ garment, or the Kanaf of His Beged (Matthew 20:9). I’ve taught that and many others have as well.

What I find difficult to follow (or swallow) is the conclusion he draws that this woman absolutely knew the word of God in order to reach out and receive healing. She may have; however, if she were a Jewess who knew the Law and observed the Law, with an issue of blood she would not have been able to be in crowded street filled with Jewish people because she would have been unclean, as it is written,

“And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days out of the time of her separation, or if it run beyond the time of her separation; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her separation: she shall be unclean” (Leviticus 15:25).

The unclean person would have been unable to come into close proximity of any clean Jews she would have made anything she touched unclean according to Torah (Leviticus 15). Therefore, it could have been a woman, Jew or Gentile, who did not know the Law.

Second, Mr. Bell presents that closing the prayer shawl, the Kanaf in front of you [which he demonstrates in the video, covering his face and head], is what was called the “prayer closet” by the rabbis. I cannot find a reference for this except for a few Messianic rabbis that suggest it, and even more often, retailers using this “prayer closet” as a selling point for their Tallyot (plural Talliyt). Check out any picture you like of Jews praying at the Western Wall and you'll never see one praying in the manner that Rob Bell suggests.

I would suggest that the rabbis and Pharisees of Jesus’ day didn’t use a their prayer shawls in this way, because to cover the face was to hide who one was and Jesus indicted the hypocrites for bringing attention to themselves and their identities:

“And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward” (Matthew 6:5).

Furthermore, Paul, a rabbi himself, said that it was a shame for a man to cover his head when he prayed and doing what Rob Bell says that they did, would cover their heads:

“For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God” (1 Corinthians 11:7a).


UPDATE: I've had such an overwhelming response to my statement above mentioning checking out the wailing wall. I urge you to check out the video if you haven't as I was referring to the exact posture that Rob Bell took as opposed to just covering the head and face. You'll also want to check out my addendum post, Prayer Shawls & Overwhelming Response. Thanks.

Why do I bring up what seems to be minor points? I’m pointing out consistent trends in his inconsistencies (now wasn’t that fun to read?). What Rob Bell has so masterfully done is use a little trick that many of the hyper-charismatic preachers use. He builds up his credibility and believability with his audience by bringing out some Scripture first and following with some fair exegesis (and in some cases by some very good and very slick preachers and evangelists, excellent exegesis).

Once the audience is nodding in agreement, he can pretty much tell them anything he wants and they’ll bite-- hook, line, and sinker. Mr. Bell is actually quite good at this because he gets his audience repeating words right from the beginning so that his audience has already bought his product in their minds, even before he rings up the sale.

Did you notice that he shifts gears from the prayer shawl to the educational system of rabbinical Judaism? The prayer shawl, although Jewish, had nothing to do with the next part of his presentation. Mr. Bell brought in an unrelated tool of the Jewish culture, the Kanaf, in order to present the next topic. This is part of the subtle tactic to build up his credibility and believability. And this is very easy to do if your presenting a little bit of Hebrew to an unsuspecting Gentile audience. Unethical used car salesmen also use this tactic through advertising and it's known as the old "bait and switch."

In part two we’ll take a look at Rob Bell’s presentation of the rabbinic education system of 1st century Judaism.

Associated Articles:

"The Prayer Closet"

"The Rabbi's Dust"


http://thewordunbroken.blogspot.com/...ke-part-1.html

[Sing4Him]

When we introduce anything, including a prayer shawl, as something that allows us to “get into the presence” of God or “get closer” to God, this implies that the blood of Jesus Christ is insufficient to enter the throne of grace. :thumb It is written,

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6).

“By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:2).

“For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father” (Ephesians 2:18).

“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh; and having an high priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:19-22).

“And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent” (Matthew 27:51).

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
http://thewordunbroken.blogspot.com/2007/02/prayer-closet.html

[Sing4Him]

Molly.. your "nervousness" may be the conviction of the Holy Spirit.:hug

[mary rae]

Sing, my aunt who died from cancer this spring, had one of these. I saw it at her viewing.
I originally thought that these were a wonderful addition to her prayer time-she was a dedicated Christian,whom I had the utmost respect for, and she was a woman of prayer.

When I saw it there,(I'm sure now it was the Holy Spirit) the thought either crossed my mind there or later "I'm so glad I don't need that to enter His presence, I can just go right in(through the blood of Jesus)." I pity the Christians who feel they need to add to what God has so freely provided.

[Miss Molly]

Molly.. your "nervousness" may be the conviction of the Holy Spirit.:hug

That's what I thought! Thanks for all the information, Sing4Him. I did do a search here and somehow managed to miss all this :hehee :sorry

Thanks again, it gives me something to pass on to my friend. :hug