“Barukh Ha-Shem”

On May 14, 2018, seventy years after the declaration of the State of Israel, at the consecration of the United States Embassy in Jerusalem, Pastor John Hagee delivered an inspiring prayer to God in front of all the visiting dignitaries. Hagee concluded with the words: “Let the name of the Lord be glorified today, for the defender of Israel today, tomorrow and forever, is here. Can we all shout Hallelujah (praise God)? Amen!”¹

This took place exactly seventy years to the day of the official return of the Jewish nation to the Land of Israel, and can be seen as the latest in a line of gentiles playing a role of biblical significance. Throughout the Bible alongside the Israelites are non-Israelite friends and admirers who support, extol, defend, and in many circumstances bless Israel and God. Often, they will do so uttering the now ubiquitous Jewish phrase “barukh Hashem” (blessed is God)!

Abraham the Blessing

The notion of blessing regarding individuals appears most prominently in the Bible in God’s incipient interaction with Abraham; it is indeed the condition upon which their relationship is launched. In the aftermath of the Flood, where God reset the world (Gen. 6:6), He chooses a different method for monitoring and guiding humanity — less about direct intervention and more about peer-to-peer development. The election of Abraham was a critical stage in how God would operate. He appoints a representative in the world who would call out in His name and remind humanity of the Creator. When, after humanity sought to make a name for themselves (Gen. 11:4), Abraham did the opposite, calling out in the name of God (Gen. 12:8). God responds by sending Abraham to Canaan, the most central location in ancient Near Eastern civilization, the crossroads between Mesopotamia and Egypt.

Abraham’s unspoken mission was to call out the name of God to all who would listen, to be the role model for the world, speaking truth and performing kindness — the ultimate balance of hesed ve-emet. And thus Abraham spends much of his time traversing north and south, east and west, calling out in God’s name. In fact, while God does not give Abraham instructions other than to move to the land, He does speak of the rewards Abraham will receive: The LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, And I will bless you; I will make your name great, And be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you And curse him that curses you; And all the families of the earth Shall bless themselves by you” (Gen. 12:1-3).

The guiding word for the paragraph is barukh (bless), appearing five times in this short segment. Many commentators attempt to understand the repetition of barukh, and especially the expression “be a blessing.” Rabbi Samson Rafael Hirsch, in his commentary to Genesis 12:3, explicates that as opposed to the nations of the world, who want to be “blessed,” the ideal is for Abraham to become the blessing itself, a nation that when others look at it they will know their mission, and their mission is to be that blessing. Don Isaac Abarbanel, on Genesis 12:2, continues this notion of Abraham enlightening the world: it is because of him that the nations will be blessed and influenced and will come to learn about God, as he calls out in God’s name and they recognize the truth through him.

We can understand the emphasis on berakha not only in terms of what the nations of the world would receive through Abraham — physical and spiritual bounty — but also by what they would impart; they too would bestow berakha to the world. In order for God’s plan to work, it could not be Abraham and his people alone enlightening the world about God’s beneficence; nations of the world who were the recipients of that berakha would disseminate it as well.

Five Stages

There are many developmental stages in the Bible which act as transitional points in the life of Abraham, his family, and ultimately the nation which would emerge from his seed. Five of these form a progression, reaching its apex in the personality of King Solomon: Abraham the monotheist, Moses the nationalist, Joshua the conqueror of Israel, David the king messiah, and Solomon the builder of the Temple. At each stage, the hero calls out in God’s name, either literally, as in the case of Abraham, or figuratively, by shepherding the nation of Israel and guiding it to fulfill its mission — a mission that must include a call to the nations of the world to know God. Each time, a gentile counterpart hears the call, comes close to the camp, helps, praises, offers sacrifices, gives of themselves to Israel, and then blesses God, before returning home to presumably continue to preach these lessons to their compatriots.

Abraham and Melchizedek

As noted, the entire process begins with Abraham’s interaction with the many kings of the surrounding lands once he arrives in Canaan. It is only upon Abraham’s assumption of warrior and victor that a shift takes place: When he returned from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh, which is the Valley of the King. And King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was a priest of God Most High. He blessed him, saying, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your foes into your hand.” And he gave him a tenth of everything (Gen. 14:17-20).

Immediately after the battle in which Abraham defeated the four kings and saved Lot’s life, Melchizedek interjects and praises Abraham, bringing out bread and wine. What prompts Melchizedek to make such a gesture? We can assume that Melchizedek heard about Abraham’s identity as a man of God and of kindness; yet when he saw the strength and fortitude Abraham showed in saving his nephew, he heard the “call in the name of God” and came to Abraham’s side. He blessed him and blessed his God, and went home.

Moses and Jethro

If Abraham represents the individual charged with God’s mission to enlighten the world about God, Moses is the national equivalent. Moses leads the people out of slavery, but more importantly toward Sinai and an understanding of their mission in the world — to continue the legacy of Abraham, go to the land, and call out in God’s name. We find a gentile response here as well: Jethro priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard all that God had done for Moses and for Israel His people, and rejoiced over all the kindness the Lord had shown Israel, declaring “Blessed be the LORD… Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods” (Ex. 18). Jethro then brought a burnt offering and sacrifices, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to partake of the meal before God.

Jethro hears of God’s salvation, of the Exodus, and of the miraculous birth of the nation of Israel, and comes to the Israelite camp. There he says the special words which prove that the nation of Israel is on the right track — barukh Hashem, who delivered you from Pharaoh. In addition to his declaration and blessing, Jethro also offers sacrifices and joins the Israelites in a festive meal. After his experience, Jethro returns home. There is a debate as to whether he went home to convert his family and then rejoin the Israelites, or whether it was enough for him to come and be inspired and then return home as a Midianite priest. Either way, his consciousness was forever altered — he understood that Israel is a blessed nation due to its unique position in God’s plan.

Joshua and Rahab

The Torah closes with the death of Moses, and Joshua takes the baton. The king of Jericho orders Rahab to produce the spies she has hidden; instead she protects them, telling them, I know that the LORD has given the country to you… for we have heard how the LORD dried up the waters of the Sea of Reeds for you… for the LORD your God is the only God in heaven above and on earth below (Josh. 2). Just as Jethro heard of the greatness of God in Egypt, Rahab also hears. She “knows” that the land is bequeathed to Israel and that the inhabitants of Canaan are quaking. Rahab uses the exact same words that appear in the Song of the Sea, and while she does not outright say “barukh Hashem,” she recognizes the greatness of God in nearly the same terms used by Moses in Deuteronomy 4:39.

Rahab hears and knows, and risks her life to protect the messengers of the chosen nation of God. In return, she and her family are saved from the conquest of Jericho, and she is reported to have lived amidst Israel to that day. Commentators such as Radak conclude that she converted and even married Joshua, but the simple reading is that she remained a Canaanite woman who earned the right to live side by side with the Israelites due to her actions and her recognition of the God of Israel.

David and Hiram

David succeeded in uniting Israel, defeating its enemies, restoring God to the core of the Israelite conscience, and building a capital in Jerusalem, executing true justice among all his people (II Sam. 8:15). He was also engaged in writing the Book of Psalms, and it is fitting that the sages chose Psalm 145 — a psalm built entirely around the word barukh — as the choicest of all psalms. David begins with a personal blessing of God, moves to convincing the righteous ones of the world to bless as well, and concludes with the hope that all creatures will bless God forever.

We also appreciate the actions of King Hiram of Tyre, who must have sensed the greatness of David and been affected by his call to God in word and deed, sending cedar logs, carpenters, and stonemasons to build David a palace (II Sam. 5:10-12). When Solomon later sought Hiram’s help to build the Temple, Hiram’s response is right in line with our story: “Barukh Hashem — Blessed be the LORD this day,” he said, “for granting David a wise son to govern this great people” (I Kgs. 5:16-25).

Solomon and the Queen of Sheba

The culmination of our story is the visit to Jerusalem and the Temple by the Queen of Sheba (I Kings 10), representing the climax of God’s plan of investing in Abraham and his descendants, calling out in God’s name to the point where the nations would come to Jerusalem, to the Holy Temple. Solomon’s own prayer at the Temple’s dedication (I Kgs. 8) makes explicit that its purpose is for foreigners too to hear about God’s great name and come to pray toward the House, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD alone is God. The queen of Sheba, having heard of Solomon’s fame, tests him with hard questions, and upon witnessing his wisdom and wealth declares: “Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel” (I Kgs. 10:1-10). She, like Melchizedek, Jethro, Rahab, and Hiram, returns to her country having blessed Israel and blessed God.

Unfortunately, Solomon could not sustain this level of service to God; his confidence that he would not be swayed by outside influences proved erroneous, as he came to love many foreign women in addition to Pharaoh’s daughter (I Kgs. 11:1). The nation of Israel under Solomon was united, at peace, and had called out in God’s name to the whole world through the Temple — but the process needed staying power beyond one person, one generation.

Conclusion

The appearance of gentiles throughout the Bible who hear the call in God’s name and come to the Israelite camp is intentional; it is God seeing His plan in motion. Each individual who “hears the call” and blesses God in response advances the cause to spread God’s name in the world. Israel’s mission comes to partial fruition at critical moments in the Bible, but each time it falls short of the desired goal. For almost two thousand years Jews were wandering, persecuted, and unable to be united; the modern State of Israel has begun to steer Israel back on course. When, after seventy years, the president of one of the strongest superpowers in the world acknowledges Jerusalem as our eternal capital, and a pastor representing millions of gentiles blesses Israel and blesses God, one cannot help but be optimistic that the biblical pattern, having taken a dark break in exile, has returned in our day and age.