John 8 - Steve Wiggins Daily Devotional

“Yeshua stooped down and started writing on the ground. When they persisted in questioning Him, He stood up and said to them, ‘The one without sin is to cast the first stone at her.’ Then He stooped down again and continued writing on the ground. When they heard this, they left one by one, starting with the older men. Only He was left, with the woman in the center. When Yeshua stood up, He said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ ‘No one, L_rd,’ she answered. ‘Neither do I condemn you,’ said Yeshua. ‘Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.’ John 8:6b-11

I have heard many pastors give reasons & assumptions as to what Yeshua was doing, writing in the dirt. I have yet to hear any of them quote Jeremiah. I believe that Yeshua’s actions were fulfilling Jeremiah’s prophecy, which was indicting Israel’s spiritual leaders for “spiritual adultery”. Being Torah scholars themselves, the Temple leaders eventually caught-on to the significance of Yeshua’s actions.

“Lord, the hope of Israel, all who abandon You will be put to shame. All who turn away from Me will be written in the dirt, for they have abandoned the fountain of living water.” Jeremiah 17:13

Jeremiah’s prophecy combines the images of the B’rit HaDasha ‘s (New Testament) “writing in the dirt” and “woman at the well” passages. If you recall, Yeshua told the woman at the well, “If you knew Who I was, you ask Me and I would give you Living Water.” John 4:10

Both the woman at the well, and the woman in today’s passage were guilty of adultery, yet they were forgiven when they believed in Messiah Yeshua, by faith. They are seen in sharp contrast to Israel’s spiritual leaders, who refused to acknowledge their spiritual adultery, and repent.

“My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to dig cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns which cannot hold water.” Jeremiah 2:13

We are created to worship, designed for a personal spiritual relationship with G_d. We may reject the L_rd, but we cannot abandon our created purpose. People who reject G_d always adopt some form of false religion…even if that form is professed as atheism.

God is willing to forgive & restore anyone who truly repents; and He is determined to judge & punish all who reject Him. So, is your name written in the “dirt”, or in the Lamb’s Book of Life?

Blessings,
~Steve Wiggins, Assistant Rabbi
Shuvah Yisrael
Daily Devotional, Thursday, July 4, 2013