HEBREW WORD STUDY – FOLLOW – LAKAH ‘ACHAR לכה אחר Lamed Kap Hei Alpeh Chet Resh

Matthew 22:21-22: “They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s. (22) When they had heard [these words], they marveled, and left him, and went their way.”

I Kings 18:21: “And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD [be] God, follow him: but if Baal, [then] follow him. And the people answered him not a word.”

Recently, I did a study on the Aramaic word yahav which is translated in our English text as render. I indicated that the word could also mean allow and thus “Allow Caesar to be Caesar and God to be God. The Semitic root of that word has the idea of a tree bearing fruit. In other words, Jesus was not only addressing the Pharisees but the Roman soldiers standing nearby who would have arrested Him if he said you should not pay Roman taxes. He was telling the Roman soldiers that they needed to decide if God Jehovah was the true God or Caesar was the true god. Check out who bears the most fruit.

You see a similar situation existed many years earlier in Israel. It is recorded in the Haftorah of the Weekly Torah Portion Kia Tisa” (when you take or give what is due). Tisa’ is closely related to the word tisa’. I know both words are pronounced the same but the first ends in an Aleph and the second ends in an Ayin. Tisa’ ending in an Ayin means less than a unit of ten or less than a tithe. This might have alerted the Pharisees to a rabbinical play on words and a reference to a Biblical story.

It is really possible that Jesus was making a reference to the Haftorah story of Elijah and the challenge against Jezebel’s prophets of Baal. It is amazing how few Christians realize this story concerns the nation of Israel which was in a state of apostasy. The king of Israel Ahab had married a foreign woman, Jezebel. As was the custom of that day marriages between kings and princesses were performed to create an alliance between nations. Jezebel was from the capital city of Phoenicia, Sidon which today is located in the country of Lebanon. She worshipped Baal and Asherah. As with a custom started by Solomon who took foreign wives Ahab provided facilities required by Jezebel to continue her worship of Baal and Asherah. She eventually purged the nation of all followers of Jehovah causing a chief official of the royal court, Obadiah to shelter the remaining 100 prophets of Jehovah who were not executed. Baal worship was elevated to national status and Jezebel used the nation’s funds to support the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah. It quickly became unlawful to even worship Jehovah and Jezebel tore down all the altars to God.

God sent Elijah to warn King Ahab and Jezebel that God would prevent any rains from falling on the land if they did not return to God. Jezebel’s response was to put a price on Elijah’s head. After three years of drought and famine, God told Elijah to return to King Ahab and Jezebel and demand that they return to God. Elijah returned with a challenge. The prophets of Baal were to build an altar to Baal and if Baal be the true god he is to send fire from heaven and light the altar. If God Jehovah be the true God, He will send fire from heaven. We all know the story from there. It is the climactic words of Elijah that really stand out: “If YHWH be God follow Him if Baal follow him.” The word follow in Hebrew is two words laku ‘acharayn which could be literally translated as: “You go or you render to him and go after him.”

The Pharisees not only knew the Haftorah or the Book of Kings but many had it memorized word for word. Literally, in the Aramaic what Jesus said was: “Give (allow) Caesar to Caesar and God to God.” The Roman soldiers would be given a challenge, “If Caesar be god follow him but if YHWH be God follow Him.” To the Pharisees, they would think of the story of Elijah and be forced to consider the very basis of their faith. Not some law about tithing but who are they really following and Jesus was giving them an ultimatum, “Choose you this day whom you will serve.”

I believe God brings all of us to that point sometime in our lives and I mean I our Christian lives where we must choose whom we are really serving. Are we serving our pride, our wallets, our earthly pursuits or are we serving God?”