Tag: Torah reading

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Torah Reading – Aharei Mot – One New Man Bible – May 3, 2019

Leviticus 16:1 – 18:30

Day of Atonement Service

16.1. And the LORD* spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD* and died; 2. And the LORD* said to Moses, “Speak to Aaron your brother, so at all times he does not come into the Holy Place within the veil before the cover, which is on the Ark, so he does not die: for I shall appear in the cloud upon the cover. 3. Thus will Aaron come into the Holy Place with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4. He will put on the holy linen tunic and he will have the linen breeches upon his flesh and will be girded with a linen belt and he will be attired with the linen turban. These are holy garments, therefore he will immerse his flesh in water and so put them on. 5. And he will take from the congregation of the children of Israel two he goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering. 6. And Aaron will offer his bull of the sin offering, which is for himself and make atonement for himself and for his house. 7.And he will take the two goats and present them before the LORD* at the door of the Tent of Meeting. 8. And Aaron will cast lots upon the two goats, one lot for the LORD* and the other lot for Azazel. 9. And Aaron will bring the goat upon which the LORD’s* lot fell and offer him for a sin offering. 10. But the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel will be presented alive before the LORD* to make atonement with him and to let him go for Azazel into the wilderness.

11. And Aaron will bring the bull of the sin offering, which is for himself, and will make atonement for himself and for his house, and will kill the bull of the sin offering which is for himself. 12. And he will take a fire-pan full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD* and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small and bring it within the veil, (Rev. 8:5) 13. and he will put the incense upon the fire before the LORD*, so the cloud of the incense may cover the cover that is over the Testimony, so he will not die 14. and he will take of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger upon the east side of the cover, and he will sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times in front of the cover. 15. Then he will kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people, and bring its blood inside the veil and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bull and sprinkle it on the cover and in front of the cover. 16. And he will make atonement for the Holy Place because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins, and so he will do for the Tent of Meeting, and because of the One Who remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness. 17. And no one will be in the Tent of Meeting when he goes in to make atonement in the Holy Place until he comes out and has made atonement for himself and for his household and for the whole congregation of Israel. 18. And he will go out to the altar that is before the LORD* and make atonement for it and will take from the blood of the bull and of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around. 19. And he will sprinkle some of the blood upon it with his finger seven times and cleanse it and sanctify it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.

16:20. “And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place and the Tent of Meeting and the altar, he will bring the live goat, 21. and Aaron will lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat and will send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a fit man. 22. And the goat will bear upon itself all their iniquities to a land not inhabited, and he will let the goat go in the wilderness. 23. And Aaron will come into the Tent of Meeting and will put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the Holy Place, and will leave them there, 24. and he will immerse his flesh in water in a Holy Place and put on his garments and come out, and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people and make atonement for himself and for the people. 25. And he will burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar. 26. And he who lets the goat for Azazel go will wash his clothes and immerse his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp. 27. And the bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, will one carry forth outside the camp, and they will burn their skins and their flesh and their dung in fire. 28. And he who burns them will wash his clothes and immerse his flesh in water, and afterward he will come into the camp.

16:29. “And this will be a statute forever for you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month you will afflict your souls and do no work at all, whether it is one of your own country or a stranger that lives among you, 30. for on that day the priest will make atonement for you, to cleanse you so you may be clean from all your sins before the LORD*. 31. It will be a Sabbath of rest for you and you will afflict your souls, by a statute forever. 32. And the priest whom he will anoint, and whom he will consecrate to minister in the priest’s office in his father’s stead, will make the atonement, and will put on the linen clothes, the holy garments, 33. and he will make atonement for the holy Sanctuary and he will make atonement for the Tent of Meeting and for the altar, and he will make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the congregation. 34. And this will be an everlasting statute for you, to make atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year.”

And he, Aaron, did as the LORD* commanded Moses.

Instructions for Preparing Meat

17.1. And the LORD* spoke to Moses saying, 2. “Speak to Aaron and to his sons and to all the children of Israel and say to them, This is the thing which the LORD* has commanded saying,

17:3. “Any man whatsoever of the House of Israel who kills an ox or lamb or goat in the camp, or who kills it outside the camp 4. and does not bring it to the door of the Tent of Meeting to offer an offering to the LORD* before the Tabernacle of the LORD*; blood will be imputed to that man. He has shed blood and that man will be cut off from among his people 5. to the end that the children of Israel may bring their offerings, which they offer in the open field, even that they may bring them to the LORD*, to the door of the Tent of Meeting, to the priest and offer them for a peace offering to the LORD*. 6. And the priest will sprinkle the blood on the altar of the LORD* at the door of the Tent of Meeting, and burn the fat for a sweet savor to the LORD*. 7. And they will no longer offer their offerings to evil spirits, after whom they have gone astray. This will be a statute forever for them throughout their generations.

17:8. “And you will say to them, Whatever man there is of the House of Israel or of the strangers that sojourn among you that offers a burnt offering or feast offering, 9. and does not bring it to the door of the Tent of Meeting to offer it to the LORD*, even that man will be cut off from among his people.

17:10. “And whatever man there is of the House of Israel or of the strangers that sojourn among you, who eats any manner of blood, I shall even set My face against that one (Acts 15:20) who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people. 11. For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for your lives on the altar, for it is the blood that makes atonement for a life. (Heb. 9:7) 12. Therefore I said to the children of Israel, No one of you will eat blood, neither will any stranger that lives among you eat blood.

17:13. “And whatever man there is of the children of Israel or of the strangers that sojourn among you, who hunts and catches any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he will even pour out its blood and cover it with dust. 14. For it is the life of all flesh; its blood is for its life. Therefore I said to the children of Israel, You will eat the blood of no manner of flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood: whoever eats it will be cut off. 15. And everyone who eats that which died of itself, or that which was torn by beasts, whether it is one of your own country or a stranger, he will both wash his clothes and immerse himself in water and be unclean until the evening, then he will be clean. 16.But if he does not wash them or immerse his flesh, then he will bear his iniquity.”

Do Not Stray!

18.1. And the LORD* spoke to Moses, saying, 2. “Speak to the children of Israel and say to them,

“I am the LORD* your God. 3. You will not do after the doings of the land of Egypt in which you dwelled, and after the doings of the land of Canaan where I bring you, you will not do. Neither will you walk in their ordinances. 4. You will do My judgments and keep My ordinances, to walk in them, I AM the LORD* your God. 5. You will therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does he will live in them. I AM the LORD*. (Rom. 10:5, Gal. 3:12)

18:6. “None of you will approach anyone that is near of kin to him, to uncover nakedness. I AM the LORD*!

18:7. “The nakedness of your father or the nakedness of your mother, you will not uncover. She is your mother, you will not uncover her nakedness.

18:8. “The nakedness of your father’s wife you will not uncover. It is your father’s nakedness. (Gen. 9:22)

18:9. “The nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father, or daughter of your mother, whether she is born at home or born abroad, their nakedness you will not uncover.

18:l0. “The nakedness of your son’s daughter or of your daughter’s daughter, their nakedness you will not uncover, for theirs is your own nakedness.

18:11. “The nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, begotten of your father, she is your sister, you will not uncover her nakedness.

18:12. “You will not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister: she is your father’s near kinswoman.

18:13. “You will not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s near kinswoman.

18:14. “You will not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother, you will not approach his wife: she is your aunt.

18:15. “You will not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law: she is your son’s wife, you will not uncover her nakedness.

18:16. “You will not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife: it is your brother’s nakedness.

18:17. “You will not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, neither will you take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter to uncover her nakedness, for they are her near kinswomen: it is incest.

18:18. “Neither will you take a wife together with her sister, to vex her, to uncover her nakedness, beside the other in her lifetime.

18:19. “Also you will not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness.

18:20. “Moreover you will not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife, to defile yourself with her. 21.And you will not let any of your seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither will you profane the name of your God. I AM the LORD*!

18:22. “You will not lie with a male as with a woman: it is an abomination.

18:23. “Neither will you lie with any beast to defile yourself with it. Neither will any woman stand before a beast to lie down with it: it is perversion.

18:24. “Do not defile yourselves in any of these things, for the nations that I cast out before you are defiled in all these, 25. and the land is defiled: therefore I visit its iniquity upon it and the land itself vomits out its inhabitants. 26. You will therefore keep My statutes and My judgments and neither your home born nor any stranger that lives among you will commit any of these abominations. 27.For all these abominations the men of the land that were before you have done and the land has become defiled. 28. So the land will not vomit you out also, when you defile it, like it vomited out the nations that were before you. 29. For whoever will commit any of these abominations, even those who commit them will be cut off from among their people. 30. Therefore you will keep My ordinance, so you will not commit any of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that you do not defile yourselves by them. I AM the LORD* your God!” (Click to Source)

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A People Ransomed by God

Looking for spiritual deliverance? The last day of Passover commemorates the crossing of the Red Sea, the final deliverance from bondage, and the miracle of immersion.

April 27,2019

Portion Summary

On the final day of Passover, which commemorates the crossing of the Red Sea, there is a custom to end the season of redemption with an additional, less formal seder. Called Se’udat Mashiach, this event focuses on the ultimate redemption and the messianic banquet that will take place in the future.

Regular Shabbat Readings

  • Shemini Shel Pesach (שמיני של פסח | Eighth Day of Passover)
  • Torah: Deuteronomy 14:22-16:17
  • Maftir: Numbers 28:19-28:25
  • Haftarah: Isaiah 10:32-12:6
  • Gospel: John 20:15-20

Note: The regular readings are often interrupted with special readings on Jewish holidays, special Sabbaths, and Rosh Chodesh. Refer to the annual Torah Portion schedule for these special portions.

Portion Outline

  • TORAH
    • Deuteronomy 14:22 | Regulations concerning Tithes
    • Deuteronomy 15:1 | Laws concerning the Sabbatical Year
    • Deuteronomy 15:19 | The Firstborn of Livestock
    • Deuteronomy 16:1 | The Passover Reviewed
    • Deuteronomy 16:9 | The Festival of Weeks Reviewed
    • Deuteronomy 16:13 | The Festival of Booths Reviewed

Portion Summary

On the final day of Passover, which commemorates the crossing of the Red Sea, there is a custom to end the season of redemption with an additional, less formal seder. Called Se’udat Mashiach, this event focuses on the ultimate redemption and the messianic banquet that will take place in the future. Learn more about it here.

Paul wrote to the believers at Corinth, “For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; and all were immersed into Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (1 Corinthians 10:1-2).In Paul’s day, one who wanted to become a disciple of Yeshua had to go through a ritual immersion. This rule applied to both Jews and Gentiles. Prior to the immersion, the new disciple confessed and renounced his sins in keeping with the tradition of John’s immersion. Then he descended into a gathering of living water “for the name of Yeshua.” The immersion brought ceremonial cleansing from Levitical impurity, and it symbolized spiritual cleansing, death, and resurrection.

Judaism teaches that one who immerses in a mikvah (immersion pool) symbolically dies as he descends into the water and is reborn as he leaves the water. The apostles applied the death and rebirth imagery of the immersion ritual:

Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Messiah Yeshua have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death … if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection. (Romans 6:3-5)

For the apostles, immersion into the name of Messiah represented the transition from death to life, from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. By way of analogy, Paul saw the same imagery at work in the crossing of the sea. The children of Israel left Egypt, Pharaoh, and slavery behind as they descended into the water, and they arose on the other side as free men—a people ransomed by God.

Paul warned the Corinthians not to think too highly of themselves. Paul warned them that the generation that perished in the wilderness had similar credentials to their own. They had all been “immersed into Moses in the cloud and the sea,” yet they did not enter the Promised Land (which is compared to the Messianic Era).

Paul was not the only Torah teacher to compare the crossing of the Red Sea to the water of the mikvah. In the Midrash Rabbah, the nation of Israel passes through the Red Sea to purify themselves in preparation for their journey to Mount Sinai:

The crossing of the sea can be compared to a woman who, having completed the days of uncleanness, purified herself and came to her husband. When he saw her he asked, “Who can testify that you are clean?” She replied, “Behold, my maid can testify that I have purified myself by immersion in the mikvah.” (Exodus Rabbah 23:12) (Click to Source)

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Happy Passover! – Torah Portion – the One New Man Bible – Passover First Day – April 20, 2019

(Exodus 12:21-51)

12:21. Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Choose and take for yourselves a lamb according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb. 22. And you will take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the basin, and none of you will go out of the door of his house until the morning. 23. For the LORD* will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when He sees the blood upon the lintel and on the two side posts, the LORD* will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to strike you. 24. And you will observe this thing for an ordinance for you and your sons forever. 25. And it will be, when you come to the land which the LORD* will give you, according as He has promised, that you will keep this service. 26. And it will be, when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ 27. That you will say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the LORD’s* Passover, Who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our houses.’” And the people bowed their heads and worshipped. 28. And the children of Israel went away and did so, as the LORD* had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.

Firstborn, Last of the Plagues

12:29. (10th) And it was at midnight that the LORD* struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of animals. 30. And Pharaoh got up in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead. 31. And he called for Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Get up! Get out from among my people! Both you and the children of Israel, go! Serve the LORD*, as you have said. 32. Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone. And bless me also.” 33. And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, so they would send them out of the land in haste, for they said, “We will all be dead men.” 34. And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading-troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders. 35. And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses, and they asked from the Egyptians jewels of silver, jewels of gold, and clothes. 36. And the LORD* gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted their requests, such things as they required. And they emptied Egypt.

12:37. And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children. 38. And a mixed multitude also went up with them, and flocks and herds, very many cattle. 39. And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought out of Egypt, for it was not leavened because they were thrust out of Egypt and could not tarry, nor had they prepared any food for themselves.

12:40. Now the stay of the children of Israel who dwelled in Egypt was four hundred thirty years. 41. And it was at the end of the four hundred thirty years, even the selfsame day, it was that all the hosts of the LORD* went out from the land of Egypt. 42. It is a night to be guarded, never forgotten, to the LORD* for bringing them out from the land of Egypt. This is that night of the LORD* to be observed by all the children of Israel in their generations.

Ordinance of the Passover

12:43. And the LORD* said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover: No stranger will eat of it. 44. But every man’s servant that is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he will eat of it. 45. A foreigner and a hired servant will not eat of it. 46. It will be eaten in one house, you will not carry out any of the flesh abroad out of the house, nor will you break a bone of it. (John 19:33) 47. All the congregation of Israel will keep it. 48. And when a stranger sojourns with you and keeps the Passover to the LORD*, let all his males be circumcised and then let him come near and keep it, and he will be as one that is born in the land, for no uncircumcised person will eat of it. 49. One Torah (Teaching) will be for the one that is home born and for the stranger who lives among you.” 50. So all the children of Israel did this, as the LORD* commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did. 51. And it happened the selfsame day, the LORD* did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts. (Click to Source)

 

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Torah Commentary – Sh’mini (Eighth) – Convictions Do Not Change – SCRIPTURES FOR March 30, 2019

Torah Commentary
Leviticus 9:1-11:47
2 Samuel 6:1-19
Mark 7:1-23
Acts 5:1-11;10:1-35
Sh’mini (Eighth)
Convictions Do Not Change
The sacrifices are to teach us about life. They give us instructions of how to approach YH VH. This Torah portion will also instruct us in how not to approach him. The sons of Aaron decide they have a right to their opinion regarding their duties and it does not go very well for them. Simply put, they died.
These verses and the event they describe should teach us that the first thing which must be put on an altar is our opinion. Yah has set up His ways of doing things and expects us to follow through without inserting our thoughts into the situation. It is the very heart of true conviction.
Conviction is when we do something, not because we understand it all, but because it is the right thing to do, one-hundred percent of the time, because He tells us to. Conviction does not have a place for wiggle room when we find ourselves in a compromising situation. Conviction stands firm, no matter the cost.
It is interesting that the verses of unauthorized fire would be followed with instructions for what is food and what is not food, for if there is an area of our life which conviction is tested almost daily, it is in what we put in our mouths.
I am not going to get into the list of what Abba says is food or not as you can read the list for yourself. The question is what are we going to do with the list when we are finished? Will we treat it with the conviction it deserves as the Word of YHVH, or water it down with a bit of convenience? To expound on this, let’s make up a scenario most of us are familiar with.
Let’s say your neighbor invites you over for dinner one night. You have not told them about your faith or your lifestyle of Torah. You figure they go to church on Sundays as you can see their car leave every Sunday morning at 10:50 and return at 12:10. You have been meaning to talk to them about your faith, but have been putting it off because you don’t want to be marked as “Those People” by all your neighbors.
So you show up for dinner and walk in the door only to be greeted by the sight of pork chops frying in a pan. Oy Vey! Now what do you do? Here are your options.
  1. 1.  Tell your neighbors that the whole family has just been diagnosed with high blood pressure and can not eat pork due to doctors orders.
  2. 2.  Explain to them the scientific reasons pigs should not be considered food.
  3. 3.  Tell the children to just eat a little so as not to offend your neighbors. By the way, this means offending your God.
  4. 4.  Be honest with the neighbors and use it as a place of conviction and an opportunity to share the lifestyle your faith in Yeshua has brought you to. Tell them you do not eat pork because your convicted not to based on Scripture.
Now I think we all know what our response should be. The question though is not what we should do, but what have we been doing?
It is amazing to me how the dietary commands are the ones people do not think should be taken seriously. I have heard most every excuse in the book for breaking these commands. Why do people think these are somehow less of the heart of Abba than others. I mean, do we do that with other commandments like, “Just a little sexual immorality is fine. We don’t want to offend anyone!” How about, “Just steal a little bit!” How ridiculous, right?
If you are as fed up with this world situation as I am, stop and ask what got us into it in the first place? Was it not Eve putting something in her mouth she was not supposed to? Was not this whole thing started when Adam and Eve walked in convenience instead of conviction?
So next time you go to your neighbors house for dinner, or dare we say your mothers house, ask yourself a question. Are we truly walking in conviction or is our life based on convenience? You never know if maybe Abba has placed you in a situation because he wants to convict someone else through you. (Click to Source)
Shalom and Be Strong,
Mike Clayton
Joined To HaShem
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Weekly Torah Readings – One New Man Bible – Tsav – March 22, 2019

Tsav

6.1. And the LORD* spoke to Moses, saying, 2. “Command Aaron and his sons saying,

Burnt Offering

“This is the instruction of the burnt offering. It is the burnt offering, because of the burning upon the altar all night to the morning and the fire of the altar will be burning in it.3. And the priest will put on his linen garment and he will put his linen breeches upon his flesh, and take up the ashes which the fire has consumed with the burnt offering on the altar and he will put them beside the altar.4. Then he will put off his garments and put on other garments and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place. 5. And the fire will be burning on the altar. It will not be put out and the priest will burn wood on it every morning and lay the burnt offering in order upon it and he will burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. 6. The fire will ever be burning upon the altar; it will never go out.”

Grain Offering

6:7. “And this is the instruction for the grain offering: the sons of Aaron will offer it before the LORD*, before the altar. 8.And he will take a handful of it, of the flour of the grain offerings and of its oil and all the frankincense which is upon the meal offering, and will burn it upon the altar, a sweet savor, the memorial of it to the LORD*. 9. And Aaron and his sons will eat the remainder of it. It will be eaten with unleavened bread in the Holy Place. They will eat it in the court of the Tent of Meeting. 10. It will not be baked with leaven. I have given it to them for their portion of My offerings made by fire. It is most holy, as is the sin offering and as the guilt offering. 11. All the males among the children of Aaron will eat of it. It will be a statute forever in your generations concerning the offerings of the LORD* made by fire: everyone who touches them will be holy.” (1Cor. 9:13)

6:12. And the LORD* spoke to Moses saying, 13. “This is the offering of Aaron and of his sons, which they will offer to the LORD* on the day when he is anointed; the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a grain offering perpetually, half of it in the morning and half of it at night. 14. It will be made with oil in a pan, baked, you will bring it in and you will offer the baked pieces of the grain offering, a sweet savor to the LORD*. 15. And the anointed priest will offer it in his place among his sons. It is a statute forever to the LORD*; it will be wholly burned. 16. For every grain offering for the priest will be wholly burned; it will not be eaten.”

Sin Offering

6:17. And the LORD* spoke to Moses saying, 18. “Speak to Aaron and to his sons saying, This is the teaching of the sin offering. The sin offering will be killed in the place where the burnt offering is killed before the LORD*; it is most holy. 19.The priest who offers it for sin will eat it: it will be eaten in the Holy Place, in the court of the Tent of Meeting. 20. Whatever touches its, sin offering’s, flesh will be holy, (Matt. 8:3) and when its blood is sprinkled upon any garment, you will wash the garment that was sprinkled in the Holy Place. 21. But the earthen vessel in which it is boiled will be broken and if it is boiled in a bronze pot, the pot will be both scoured and rinsed in water. 22. All the males among the priests will eat it: it is most holy. 23. And no sin offering, of which any of the blood is brought into the Tent of Meeting to atone in the Holy Place, will be eaten. It will be burned in the fire.”

Guilt Offering

7.1. “Likewise this is the teaching of the guilt offering: it is most holy. 2. In the place where they kill the burnt offering they will kill the guilt offering and he will sprinkle its blood all around upon the altar. 3. And he will offer of it all its fat, the rump and the fat that covers the innards, 4. the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and he will take away the lobe above the liver with the kidneys, 5. and the priest will burn them upon the altar, an offering made by fire to the LORD*: it is a guilt offering. 6. Every male among the priests will eat of it: it will be eaten in the Holy Place: it is most holy. 7. As the sin offering is, so is the guilt offering: there is one teaching for them: the priest who makes atonement there will have it.

7:8. “And the priest who offers anyone’s burnt offering, even the priest will have the skin of the burnt offering which he has offered for himself. 9. And all the grain offering that is baked in the oven and all that is dressed in the frying-pan and in the pan, will be the priest’s who offers it. 10. And every grain offering, mixed with oil, and dry, will all the sons of Aaron have, one as much as another.”

Peace Offerings

7:11. “And this is the teaching of the offering of peace offerings, which he will offer to the LORD*. 12. If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he will offer unleavened cakes mixed with oil with the offering of thanksgiving, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mixed with oil, of fine flour, fried. 13. Besides the cakes, he will offer for his offering leavened bread with the offering of thanksgiving of his peace offerings. 14. And of it he will offer one cake out of the whole offering for a heave offering to the LORD*, it will be the priest’s who sprinkles the blood of the peace offerings. 15. And the flesh of the offering of his peace offerings for thanksgiving will be eaten the same day that it is offered, he will not leave any of it until the morning. 16.  But if the sacrifice of his offering is a vow, a free will offering, it will be eaten the same day that he brings near his sacrifice, and on the next day also the remainder of it will be eaten. 17. But the remainder of the flesh of the offering on the third day will be burnt with fire. 18. And if any of the flesh of the offering of his peace offerings is eaten at all on the third day, it will not be accepted, neither will it be imputed to him that offers it: it will be an abomination and the person who eats of it will bear his iniquity. 19. And the flesh that touches any unclean thing will not be eaten. It will be burned with fire, and as for the flesh, all who are clean will eat of it. 20. But the person who eats of the flesh of the offering of peace offerings, that pertain to the LORD*, having his uncleanness upon him, even that person will be cut off from his people. 21. Moreover the person who will touch any unclean thing, as the uncleanness of man, or any unclean beast, or any abominable unclean thing, and eats of the flesh of the offering of peace offerings, which pertain to the LORD*, even that soul will be cut off from his people.”

Eat No Fat

7:22. And the LORD* spoke to –Moses saying, 23. “Speak to the children of Israel saying, You will eat no manner of fat of ox, or of sheep, or of goat. 24. And the fat of the beast that dies of itself and the fat of that which is torn by beasts may be used in any other use, but you will in no way eat of it. 25. For whoever eats the fat of the beast of which men offer an offering made by fire to the LORD*, even the person who eats will be cut off from his people. 26. Moreover you will eat no manner of blood, of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings. 27. Whoever eats any manner of blood, even that person will be cut off from his people.”

7:28. And the LORD* spoke to Moses saying, 29. “Speak to the children of Israel saying, He that brings near the sacrifice of his peace offerings to the LORD* will bring to the LORD* his offering of the sacrifice of his peace offerings. 30. His own hands will bring the offerings of the LORD* made by fire, he will bring the fat with the breast, so the breast may be waved, a wave offering before the LORD*. 31. And the priest will burn the fat on the altar, but the breast will be Aaron’s and his sons’. 32. And the right shoulder you will give to the priest for a heave offering of the offerings of your peace offerings. 33.He, among the sons of Aaron, who offers the blood and the fat of the peace offerings, will have the right shoulder for his part. 34. For the wave breast and the heave shoulder I have taken from the children of Israel from off the offerings of their peace offerings, and have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons by a statute forever from among the children of Israel.”

7:35. This is the portion of the anointing of Aaron and of the anointing of his sons, out of the offerings of the LORD* made by fire, on the day he presented them to minister to the LORD* in the priest’s office, 36. which the LORD* commanded to be given to them by the children of Israel, on the day that He anointed them, by a statute forever throughout their generations.

7:37. This is the teaching of the burnt offering, of the grain offering, of the sin offering, of the guilt offering, of the consecrations, and of the offering of the peace offerings, 38. which the LORD* commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, in the day that He commanded the children of Israel to offer their offerings to the LORD*, in the wilderness of Sinai.

Aaron and His Sons Anointed

8.1. And the LORD* spoke to Moses saying, 2. “Take Aaron and his sons with him, the garments, the anointing oil, a bull for the sin offering, two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread, 3. and gather the whole congregation together at the door of the Tent of Meeting.”

8:4. And Moses did as the LORD* commanded him and the assembly was gathered together at the door of the Tent of Meeting. 5. And Moses said to the congregation, “This is the thing that the LORD* commanded to be done.”

8:6. And Moses brought Aaron and his sons and immersed them in water. 7. And he put the tunic on him and put the belt around him and clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him and put the belt of the ephod on him, and fastened it. 8. And he put the breastplate on him, then he put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastplate. 9. And he put the turban on his head and upon the turban, over his forehead he put the golden plate, the holy crown, as the LORD* commanded Moses. 10. And Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the Tabernacle and all that was in it, and sanctified them. 11. And he sprinkled it upon the altar seven times and anointed the altar and all its vessels, both the laver and its foot, to sanctify them. 12. And he poured the anointing oil upon Aaron’s head and anointed him, to sanctify him.

8:13. And Moses brought Aaron’s sons, put tunics on them, belts on them, turbans on them, as the LORD* commanded Moses. 14. And he brought the bull for the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull for the sin offering. 15. And he slew it and Moses took the blood and put it upon the horns of the altar round about with his finger and purified the altar, and poured the blood at the bottom of the altar and sanctified it to make atonement upon it.16. And he took all the fat on the innards, the lobe above the liver, the two kidneys and their fat and Moses burned it on the altar. 17. But the bull and its hide, its flesh, and its dung, he burned with fire outside the camp, as the LORD* commanded Moses.

8:18. And he brought the ram for the burnt offering and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. 19.And he killed it and Moses sprinkled the blood all around on the altar. 20. And he cut the ram into pieces and Moses burned the head and the pieces and the fat. 21. And he washed the innards and the legs in water and Moses burned the whole ram on the altar: a burnt offering for a sweet savor, an offering made by fire to the LORD*, as the LORD* commanded Moses. 22. And he brought the other ram, the ram of consecration and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram. 23. And he slew it and Moses took its blood and put it upon the tip of Aaron’s right ear, upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot. 24. And he brought Aaron’s sons, and Moses put some of the blood on the tip of their right ear, upon the thumbs of their right hands, and upon the great toes of their right feet, and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about. 25. And he took the fat, the rump, all the fat on the innards, the lobe above the liver, the two kidneys and their fat, and the right shoulder, 26. and from the basket of unleavened bread that was before the LORD*, he took one unleavened cake, a cake of oiled bread, and a wafer, and put them on the fat and upon the right shoulder. 27. And he put all upon Aaron’s hands and upon his sons’ hands, and waved them, a wave offering before the LORD*. 28. And Moses took them from off their hands and burned them on the altar upon the burnt offering. They were consecrations for a sweet savor, an offering made by fire to the LORD*. 29. And Moses took the breast and waved it for a wave offering before the LORD*, for it was Moses’ share of the ram of consecration, as the LORD* commanded Moses. 30. And Moses took of the anointing oil and of the blood which was upon the altar, and sprinkled it on Aaron, upon his garments, upon his sons, and upon his sons’ garments with him, and sanctified Aaron, his garments, his sons, and his sons’ garments with him.

8:31. And Moses said to Aaron and to his sons, “Boil the meat at the door of the Tent of Meeting, and eat it there with the bread that is in the basket of consecrations, as I commanded,” saying Aaron and his sons will eat it. 32. “And that which remains of the flesh and of the bread you will burn with fire. 33. And you will not go out of the door of the Tent of Meeting in seven days, until the days of your consecration are at an end: He will consecrate you for seven days. 34. As He has done this day, so the LORD* has commanded to do, to make atonement for you. 35. Therefore you will stay at the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation day and night seven days and keep the charge of the LORD*, so you won’t die: for so I have been commanded.” 36. So Aaron and his sons did all the things which the LORD* commanded by the hand of Moses. (Click to Source)

Next week’s Torah readings: Sh’mini

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Torah Commentary – Tzav”Command” – The Lesson of the Ashes – SCRIPTURES FOR March 23, 2019

Torah Commentary
Tzav”Command”
Leviticus 6:1-8:36
Jeremiah 7:21-8:3; 9:22-23
Luke 4-6
The Lesson of the Ashes
The Tabernacle has now been built and the presence of HaShem is visible in the midst of the people.  Just a momentary thought about the scene causes the imagination to run wild.  What a sight it must have been, and what a witness to those who would see it from a distance.  I wonder just how many “foreigners” came to Moses while they journeyed through the wilderness asking to become a part of this special people who worshipped a very special God?
The people have now been set free from the bondage of Egypt.  They have been miraculously delivered and brought to Mount Sinai to receive the words to keep them free. They have build a tent for HaShem so that He could dwell in their midst, and they have seen the fire fall.  Now it is time to settle into the daily life of the journey they have been called to.  No problems from here on.  Right?
Well, maybe there would be something more they would need to do.  They would need to keep the fire of His presence real, not only in the Tabernacle, but also in their hearts on a daily basis.
You would think that a people who are eating the miraculous food of manna, receiving water from a rock that followed them, and seeing the visible presence of their God in their lives on a daily basis just should not have a hard time keeping their lives in order. But humans being so human can certainly cause problems in this area. There would be times along the way that the fire might still be on the altar, but it would be absent from the people’s hearts.
They would fail to see the lesson being lived out daily on the altar of the Tabernacle, the lesson of the ashes.
Each day the priest would be required to clean out the ashes of yesterday’s fire, making room for the fire of the present day.  If the priest did not clean out the ashes for a few days they could even smother the fire and eventually put it out.  This was a lesson the people needed to learn, but many did not.  They went about their daily business content with what God had accomplished in the past, not concerned about His presence in the present.
Will Rodgers again had it right when he said, “People change, but not much.”  It seems this trait of living on what God did in the past is not only a Hebrew thing, but it is a human thing.  How many denominations and non-denominations have not only begun through the years, but continue to perpetuate, not because of God’s presence today, but based on a testimony of what was done in the past. Before we point fingers though, maybe it would be a good idea to not look at others, but to take a few moments of self-examination as Paul told us to do.
Let’s put this to a test in our own lives right now. Ready? It is now testimony night at your local congregation and you have been asked to give a testimony of the grace and power of God in your life.  How far back would you have to go?  Would it be a month, a year or maybe even five years?  Are you maybe even having a hard time remembering anything of real meaning since the moment you gave your life to Him?  Just how long has it been since your Tabernacle has felt the fire of His presence?  How full of ashes have the altars of our hearts become?  Is it time for a good cleaning in hopes that there is still a coal left to spark the flame again?
It is so easy to go through the motions of a relationship with God.  In fact, we can do so long enough that we really think that what we are doing is fire, when all that is there is cold, dry ashes.  What is the difference between ashes and fire in your life? Think fire.  On a scale of 0 – 10, how hot is your love of HaShem, of His Truth, of your fellowman, of action?  Are you excited and exciting?  Are you making a difference?  Do you glow? Are others attracted to HaShem because of you?  Does light radiate from you?
Cold ashes can even happen to those who live by Torah.  Obedience to the letter of Torah can cause some of the coldest and driest people I have ever known.  Obedience can in fact become ashes when we refuse to allow Torah to grow and mold our lives and our relationship not only with our God, but also with each other. We must never allow our obedience to come from the ashes of yesterday, but rather make sure it is fueled by the fire of today.
Let us continue to learn lessons of life from our brothers and sisters who have walked the journey before us. If we make the same mistakes they did, we truly have no excuse! (Click to Source)
Shalom and Be Strong,
Mike Clayton
Joined To HaShem

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TorahScope: Vayikra – He called – “Sacrificial Identification” – 10 March, 2019

Vayikra

He called

Leviticus 1:1-5:26[6:7]
Isaiah 43:21-44:23

“Sacrificial Identification”

by Mark Huey

The Torah portion Vayikra begins the Book of Leviticus, and serves as the Hebrew name for the entire text. Chs. 1-7 detail sacrificial laws for individuals, for the congregation of Israel, and for priests. This is followed by chs. 8-10 describing the worship in the completed Tabernacle. Chs. 11-17 focus on the laws of clean and unclean, purity and purification, and conclude with the institution of the Day of Atonement. Chs. 18-26 compose laws of marriage, personal and social ethics, the appointed times, land tenure, and national welfare. The final chapter of Leviticus, ch. 27, deals with oath making and tithes.

If you will recall from Pequdei’s closing verses from the end of Exodus, the Tabernacle was completed and the glory of God took up residence in the midst of Israel (Exodus 40:34-38). Now that the means to offer sacrifices were available, a description of the sacrificial system is given. Please note how the Pentateuch is not necessarily narrated for us in absolute chronological order, because if this were the case, then Exodus 40 should be followed by Numbers 7, which records the consecration of the Tabernacle. Instead, the different books of the Pentateuch have been organized for us the way they have because of theological and literary reasons.

With the Tabernacle now in place at the end of Exodus, the Book of Leviticus begins by describing the sacrificial system which would be able to cover the sins of the Ancient Israelites. In our parashah for this week, the differentiations between the burnt offering,[1] grain offering,[2] peace offering,[3] sin offering,[4] and guilt offering[5] are described. There is also some clarification between unintentional sins and intentional sins, and how different people are supposed to handle the different offerings in order to receive forgiveness. One of the verses that immediate jumped out at me, when I started reading Vayikra, was Leviticus 1:4:

“He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, that it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf.”

Offerings Defined

In contemplating all the different offerings, and the distinctions between the intentional and unintentional sins, seen in Vayikra, I thought about a number of things. Making free will offerings to God was an expected “given” among the Ancient Israelites. These offerings were to be presented before the Lord as a token of their appreciation of His goodness toward them. Perhaps, I reckoned, the people knew that as limited mortals they were not necessarily in right relationship with an Eternal God, and so they would feel led to just give something to Him. Such an innate desire to offer up the best of one’s flocks or herds as burnt offerings, or simply a sacrifice to please the Lord, might salve one’s conscience for a short time.

Early in our Torah reading, we encounter the Hebrew word qorban, used for “offering,” and simply means “offering, oblation” (BDB):[6]

“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When any man of you brings an offering [qorban] to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of animals from the herd or the flock. If his offering is a burnt offering [qorban] from the herd, he shall offer it, a male without defect; he shall offer it at the doorway of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the LORD’” (Leviticus 1:2-3).

Apparently, there is not a completely accurate English word to describe all the things that qorban could fully entail. The term qorban is derived from the root qarav, basically meaning “come near, approach, enter into” (TWOT).[7] When an Israelite brought forth a qorban offering, it was designed by God to draw His people closer to Him. The physical act, of offering up a farm animal that had economic value, was a far greater “sacrifice” than simply taking the time to pray or observe the daily worship of the Tabernacle. There was a realized cost associated with offering up one’s prized agricultural possession. Some of the individual’s “treasures” or assets were losing their lives.

Millennia later, Yeshua described how one could tell where a heart was located. He taught, “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).

When one of the Ancient Israelites would make an offering of a prized animal, the individual was tangibly displaying his or her desire to be in communion with the Creator, frequently having to make restitution for some kind of sin or error committed. And on another level, by offering a living animal as a covering for sin, the message of substitution would be visibly communicated. The one who was offering up the animal had to identify with it, by laying his hands upon it right before it is killed:

“He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, that it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf. He shall slay the young bull before the LORD; and Aaron’s sons the priests shall offer up the blood and sprinkle the blood around on the altar that is at the doorway of the tent of meeting” (Leviticus 1:4-5).

In the Book of Leviticus, now that the Tabernacle was constructed and the sacrificial altar was erected, the priests had the venue and the God-given directions on how to properly offer sacrifices. Here in Vayikra, we are reminded once again that our Creator has required a blood sacrifice for the atonement of sin. As it will be later stated, animals’ lives will have to be offered before God in order to (temporarily) cover the errors committed by humans (Leviticus 17:11).

Identification

The next thing that really seemed to catch my attention, in reading through Vayikra this week, was the overwhelming reminder that various Israelites were frequently having to lay their hands on the heads of animals being sacrificed. By doing so, they were having to identify with these animals, and recognize that the shed blood of the animals were, in essence, covering for punishment that was rightfully theirs.Whether one was offering a bull, lamb, or goat, the laying on of hands was standard procedure. Consider the following passages from our selection:

“He shall lay his hand on the head of his offering and slay it at the doorway of the tent of meeting, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood around on the altar” (Leviticus 3:2).

“If he is going to offer a lamb for his offering, then he shall offer it before the LORD, and he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering and slay it before the tent of meeting, and Aaron’s sons shall sprinkle its blood around on the altar” (Leviticus 3:7-8).

“Moreover, if his offering is a goat, then he shall offer it before the LORD, and he shall lay his hand on its head and slay it before the tent of meeting, and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle its blood around on the altar” (Leviticus 3:12-13).

“He shall bring the bull to the doorway of the tent of meeting before the LORD, and he shall lay his hand on the head of the bull and slay the bull before the LORD. Then the anointed priest is to take some of the blood of the bull and bring it to the tent of meeting, and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the LORD, in front of the veil of the sanctuary” (Leviticus 4:4-6).

What you also might have noticed is that after the identification with the animal by the laying on of hands, the person making the confession has to watch it being killed, and then witness its blood sprinkled. This method of covering for sin should have left a lasting impression on the one who has brought the live animal to the priest. Even if one became somewhat desensitized to seeing animals killed, the animal still had economic value—an economic value which in some way was being thrown away as a punishment for improper deeds.

It is difficult for us living in the Twenty-First Century to often identify with what is recorded in much of Leviticus. Most of us have never even seen a farm animal slaughtered, and then butchered so that we might enjoy some fresh, homegrown meat. But if you ever have seen this occur, then you should vividly remember how, as the blood drained from the animal, its life force leaves. By the laying on of hands for identification purposes, and then watching the blood being sprinkled around the altar and various places, the qorban achieves its purpose to bring some person a covering for sins.

From Shadow to Reality

For the most part, in order to really study the sacrificial system as described in this parashah, I had to turn to the Rabbinical authorities for answers. My examination did not uncover too many Messianic interpretations of these procedures, and evangelical Christian sources are often most concerned about what the sacrificial system meant within the religious milieu of the Ancient Near East. While such historical information is good, what does a Torah portion like Vayikra really communicate to Messianic Believers today?

I simply remembered how the Apostolic Scriptures have some excellent things to say about the sacrificial system seen in the Torah. The author of Hebrews summarizes the need for the ultimate sacrifice, only available through the shed blood of the Lamb. He asserts how the animal sacrifices of the Torah, because they have to be repeated over and over again, do not provide the permanent covering for sins that the sacrifice of Messiah Yeshua provides for us:

“For the Law, since it has…a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins? But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, ‘SACRIFICE AND OFFERING YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, BUT A BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME; IN WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN YOU HAVE TAKEN NO PLEASURE. THEN I SAID, “BEHOLD, I HAVE COME (IN THE SCROLL OF THE BOOK IT IS WRITTEN OF ME) TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD”’ [Psalm 40:6-8]. After saying above, ‘SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS AND WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, NOR HAVE YOU TAKEN PLEASURE in them’ [Psalm 40:6] (which are offered according to the Law), then He said, ‘BEHOLD, I HAVE COME TO DO YOUR WILL’ [Psalm 40:7]. He takes away the first in order to establish the second. By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Yeshua the Messiah once for all. Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD [Psalm 110:1], waiting from that time onward UNTIL HIS ENEMIES BE MADE A FOOTSTOOL FOR HIS FEET [Psalm 110:1]. For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified” (Hebrews 10:1-14).

Here, the author of Hebrews reminds his audience of the need for a sacrifice, so that one can draw near to the Lord. And of course, what we find in this passage is that Yeshua Himself willingly became the offering for those who believe in Him, inaugurating a Melchizedkian priesthood before the Father in Heaven. In this post-resurrection era, animal sacrifices would at best be redundant reminders of how He had to come and provide a permanent sacrifice for sinful humanity. Our author plainly tells us, “by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Hebrews 10:14, NIV).

The challenge for us is that, by faith, we must believe the report that the Messiah has come and has died for our sins—providing permanent restitution that the animal sacrifices of Vayikra could not provide. We have to believe that He is seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven, waiting for that day when His enemies will be made a footstool for His feet. We have to identify with Him, lay our hands upon His head, and let His blood atone for our sins. For many, confessing their sins before the Lord is very difficult, as it forces them to recognize that they are yet to be perfected. We are limited mortals in need of the mercy of an Eternal God!

As you consider the varied offerings of Vayikra, we need to pray for others who need to accept the precious blood of the Messiah of Israel and His willing sacrifice! We need to pray that as people read through these chapters of Leviticus, they might recognize how animal sacrifices can only go so far. (Click to Source)

NOTES

[1] Leviticus 1:1-17.

[2] Leviticus 2:1-16.

[3] Leviticus 3:1-17.

[4] Leviticus 4:1-35.

[5] Leviticus 5:1-6:7.

[6] Francis Brown, S.R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament(Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1979), 898.

[7] Leonard J. Coppes, “qarav,” in TWOT, 2:811.

 

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Torah Commentary – Vayikra (He Called) – Take Possession – SCRIPTURES FOR March 16, 2019

Vayikra (He Called)

SCRIPTURES FOR March 16, 2019

Leviticus 1:1-5:26

Isaiah 43:21-44:23

Romans 8:1-13

Hebrews 10:1-14; 13:10-16

Take Possession

This week we begin the Book of Leviticus. For many people it is a book of meaningless details, but in truth it is a glimpse into the Father’s Heart. In order to grasp Father’s Heart we must first open our hearts to Him. Let us stop now to invite Him to reveal Himself to us through the entire book of Leviticus. May we not rush through the verses, but meditate on Father’s purposes. As a royal priesthood let us ask, “Is there something more for us written between the lines?”

In Jeremiah 17:9 we read that Father knows our hearts better than we do and declares it to be a very dark place. From previous teachings, we have found this word heart to not be the organ in our chest, but rather our inward man, that part of us which makes us…well, us.

In order to cleanse this inner man an offering was brought to the Tabernacle and presented to the priest. At one level we would understand this as a substitution sacrifice pointing to the complete work of Messiah. Notice in chapter one, verse 4, that the person presenting the offering did not simply leave his sacrifice at the “drop off” door of the Tabernacle. Instead the person brought it to the door for inspection, then led it to the Altar of Sacrifice and laid his hands upon it. He was to cut the throat of the innocent animal, skin it and cut it into pieces. You may wonder what the priest’s role was during that time. They were there to assist, if the person could not go through with the bloody procedure.

What is the message here? Why could the man not just let the priest do the work? After all, that is what they were getting “Paid” to do. It was their “Job.”

In order for sins to be atoned for the man had to own up to his sin and take possession of it. He could not simply present the offering out of some duty or instruction. Rather, in the act of placing his hands on the animal, he acknowledged it was personal. On a side note, it is recorded that many men could not follow through with the task. When they came to the understanding the guiltless animal was being put to death in their place, reality set in. The priest would then have to intervene and finish the task.

In just a few short days most of us will be celebrating the Feast of Passover. Except for a few people, we do not have sheep or goats to slaughter, “Not Sacrifice”, for our table. We will go to the store, and purchase a nicely wrapped lamb roast for our celebration. When taking the roast out of the package, maybe we will get a few drops of blood on our hands, but it can be quickly washed off without meaning. We were not there when the lamb was slaughtered by a disinterested party. In fact, we can go through our complete Seder and really not think of the price paid for our sin. Caught up in the motions, we may forget the judgment of death we had on our lives and the sacrifice which took place to atone for it. We can just enjoy the meal as we would any other and dream of the chocolate covered matzah at the end. We can, but will we? That is an individual question.

The Torah portion goes on and speaks of various sins and offerings. Notice in chapter 5, verse 5, the person is to confess the sin he or she committed. Now I am not saying we should all drive down to the Catholic Church around the corner and sit in the little booth behind a curtain! Instead, I suggest James 5:16, “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

As Passover approaches let us make it a point to not spend all of our time on the outward appearance of which plates and glasses we will use, but look to the “inner part” of the matter, the “Heart” of Passover. Spend some quality time asking Holy Spirit to do a leaven search of your inner man. Take pause before Passover to consider those things which need to be confessed unto Him or to another. Make amends with those you may have offended. If you are serving lamb, take a moment before your knife cuts the meat to think of the man instructed in Leviticus to take a knife, not just to the piece of roast on the plate, but to the throat of the innocent animal before him. Spend a quiet moment considering the lamb before you and the work done in our place by Messiah. Let us celebrate this season with clean hands and a pure heart! His Great Love willingly paid a high price for us!

As a last note. Rabbinic writings state a principle I would like to expound on. If a man brought an offering but did not bring his own inner man of repentance and humility, the offering meant nothing. It was as if he were not honoring the One the offerings were looking to and would harden him to the true message. We could see then that his last state would be worse than his first state for he had not drawn closer to Yah, but closer to spiritual death. Could this be the same message Saul (Paul) was speaking in 1Cor 11:23-32? You read it and be the judge. Judge of your own life that is! (Click to Source)

 

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Weekly Torah Readings: P’kudei – Mar 8, 2019

P’kudei

38:21. These are the accounts of the Tabernacle, of the Tabernacle of Testimony (Rev. 15:5) as they were made, according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Itamar, son of Aaron the priest. 22. And Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur of the tribe of Judah, made all that the LORD* commanded Moses. 23. And with him was Aholiab, son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, a skillful workman, and an embroiderer of fine linen in blue, in purple, and in scarlet.

38:24. All the gold that was used for the work in all the work of the Holy Place, even the gold of the offering, was twenty-nine talents and seven hundred thirty shekels, after the shekel of the Sanctuary 25. And the silver in them that were numbered of the congregation was a hundred talents and a thousand seven hundred seventy-five shekels, after the shekel of the Sanctuary. 26. A beka, a half shekel, for every man after the shekel of the Sanctuary, for everyone that went to be numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred three thousand five hundred fifty men. 27. And of the hundred talents of silver were cast the sockets of the Sanctuary and the sockets for the veil, a hundred sockets of the hundred talents, a talent for a socket. 28. And of the thousand seven hundred seventy-five shekels he made hooks for the pillars and covered their capitals and banded them.

38:29. And the bronze of the offering was seventy talents and two thousand four hundred shekels. 30. And with it he made the sockets for the door of the Tent of Meeting, the bronze altar, the bronze grate for it, all the vessels of the altar, 31. the sockets of the court all around, and the sockets of the court gate, all the pegs of the Tabernacle and all the pegs of the court all around.

Cloths of Service and High Priest’s Garments

39.1. And they made cloths of service of the blue, purple, and scarlet, to do service in the Holy Place, and made the holy garments for Aaron, as the LORD* commanded Moses.

39:2. And he made the ephod of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet, of fine woven linen. 3. And they beat the gold into thin plates and cut it into wires to work it in the blue, in the purple, in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, skillful work. 4. They made shoulder pieces for it, to join it together: it was joined together by the two edges. 5. And the belt for tying it on, that was upon it, was of the same, according to the work of it; gold, blue, purple, and scarlet, of fine woven linen, as the LORD* commanded Moses. 6. And they fashioned onyx stones enclosed in settings of gold, engraved as signets are engraved with the names of the children of Israel. 7. And he put them on the shoulders of the ephod, to be stones for a memorial to the children of Israel, as the LORD* commanded Moses.

39:8. And he made the breastplate of skillful work, like the work of the ephod, gold, blue, purple, and scarlet, of fine woven linen. 9. It was square. They made the breastplate double: its length was a span and its breadth a span, being doubled. 10. And they set in it four rows of stones: the first row was a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: This was the first row. 11. And the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. 12. And the third row, a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. 13. And the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper: they were enclosed in gold settings. 14. And the stones were according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, the engravings of a signet, each one with his name according to the twelve tribes. 15. And they made upon the breastplate chains at the ends, of twisted work of pure gold. 16. And they made two gold settings and two gold rings and put the two rings in the two ends of the breastplate. 17. And they put the two twisted gold chains in the two rings on the ends of the breastplate. 18. And the two ends of the two twisted chains they fastened in the two settings and put them on the shoulder straps of the ephod, on the front. 19. And they made two rings of gold and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, on its border, which was on the side of the ephod inward. 20. And they made two other golden rings and put them on the two sides above the ephod, toward its front, over against the other connection, above the band of the ephod. 21. And they bound the breastplate by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so it would be above the band of the ephod and that the breastplate would not fall from the ephod, as the LORD* commanded Moses.

39:22. And he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue. 23. And there was a hole in the middle of the robe, as the hole of a coat of mail, with a band around about the hole, so it would not tear. 24. And they made pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet, of woven linen upon the hems of the robe. 25. And they made bells of pure gold and put the bells between the pomegranates on the hem of the robe, all around between the pomegranates; 26. a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, all around the hem of the robe to minister in, as the LORD* commanded Moses.

39:27. And they made tunics of fine linen of woven work for Aaron and for his sons, 28. and a turban of fine linen, hats of fine linen, linen breeches of fine woven linen, 29. a belt of fine woven linen, blue, purple, and scarlet needlework, as the LORD* commanded Moses.

39:30. And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold and wrote upon it a writing, the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD*. 31. And they tied to it a lace of blue, to fasten it on high upon the turban, as the LORD* commanded Moses.

39:32. Then all the work of the Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting was finished and the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD* commanded Moses, so they did.

39:33. And they brought the Tabernacle to Moses, the Tent and all its furniture, its hooks, its boards, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, 34. the covering of rams’ skins dyed red, the covering of badgers’ skins, and the veil of the covering, 35. the Ark of the Testimony and its poles, and the cover, 36. the table, all its vessels, and the showbread, 37. the pure menorah, with its lamps, even with the lamps to be set in order, and all its vessels, and the oil for light, 38. and the golden altar and the anointing oil, the sweet incense, and the hanging for the Tabernacle door, 39. the bronze altar and its bronze grate, its poles and all its vessels, the laver and its foot, 40. the hangings of the court, its pillars and its sockets, and the hanging for the court gate, its cords, and its pegs, and all the vessels of the service of the Tabernacle, for the Tent of Meeting, 41. the cloths of service to do service in the Holy Place, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest and his sons’ garments, to minister in the priest’s office.

39:42. According to all that the LORD* commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work. 43. And Moses looked upon all the work and, behold, they had done it as the LORD* had commanded, even so had they done it, and Moses blessed them.

Tabernacle Erected

40.1. And the LORD* spoke to Moses saying, 2. “On the first day of the first month you will set up the Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting. 3. And you will put the Ark of the Testimony in it and cover the Ark with the veil. 4. And you will bring in the table and set in order the things that are to be set in order upon it, and you will bring in the menorah and light its lamps. 5. And you will set the altar of gold for the incense before the Ark of the Testimony and put the hanging of the door to the Tabernacle. 6. And you will set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting. 7. And you will set the laver between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and will put water in it. 8. And you will set up the court around it and hang up the hanging at the court gate. 9. And you will take the anointing oil and anoint the Tabernacle and all that is in it and will sanctify it and all its vessels, and it will be holy. 10. And you will anoint the altar of the burnt offering and all its vessels, and sanctify the altar, and it will be a most holy altar. 11. And you will anoint the laver and its base and sanctify it.

40:12. “And you will bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the Tent of Meeting and immerse them in water. 13. And you will put the holy garments on Aaron and anoint him and sanctify him, so he can minister to Me in the priest’s office. 14. And you will bring his sons and clothe them with tunics. 15. And you will anoint them as you anointed their father, so they can minister to Me in the priest’s office, for their anointing will surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.”

40:16. And Moses did according to all that the LORD* commanded him, so he did.

40:17. And it was in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month that the Tabernacle was erected. 18. And Moses put up the Tabernacle and fastened its sockets and set up its boards and put in its bars and put up its pillars. 19. And he spread abroad the Tent over the Tabernacle and put the covering of the Tent over it, as the LORD* commanded Moses.

40:20. And he took and put the Testimony in the Ark and set the poles on the Ark and put the cover over the Ark 21. and he brought the Ark into the Tabernacle, and set up the veil of the covering, and covered the Ark of the Testimony, as the LORD* commanded Moses.

40:22. And he put the table in the Tent of Meeting, on the north side of the Tabernacle, outside the veil. 23. And he set the bread in order upon it before the LORD*, as the LORD* had commanded Moses.

40:24. And he put the menorah in the Tent of Meeting, over against the table on the south side of the Tabernacle. 25. And he lit the lamps before the LORD*, as the LORD* commanded Moses.

40:26. And he put the golden altar in the Tent of Meeting in front of the veil 27. and he burned sweet incense on it, as the LORD* commanded Moses.

40:28. And he set up the hanging at the door of the Tabernacle. 29. And he put the altar of burnt offering by the door of the Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting and offered the burnt offering and the grain offering on it, as the LORD* commanded Moses.

40:30. And he set the laver between the Tent of Meeting and the altar and put water there for immersing. 31. And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet there 32. when they went into the Tent of Meeting and when they came near to the altar, they immersed as the LORD* commanded Moses.

40:33. And he raised the court around the Tabernacle and the altar and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work.

Glory of the LORD* Filled the Tabernacle

40:34. Then a cloud covered the Tent of Meeting and the glory of the LORD* filled the Tabernacle. (Rev. 15:5,8) 35. And Moses was not able to enter the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud stayed on it and the glory of the LORD* filled the Tabernacle. 36. And when the cloud was taken up from over the Tabernacle, the children of Israel went on in all their journeys. 37. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not journey until the day that it was taken up. 38. For the cloud of the LORD* was over the Tabernacle by day and fire was on it by night, in the sight of the entire House of Israel throughout all their journeys. (Click to Source)

Next week’s Torah readings: Vayikra

 
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Torah Commentary – P’kudei (Accounts) – Now What? – SCRIPTURES FOR March 9, 2019

Torah Commentary
P’kudei (Accounts)
Exodus 38:21-40:38
1Kings 7:13-26
2Corinthians 9:1-15
Hebrews 9:1-14
Revelation 11:1-13
Now What?
The last chapters of Exodus speak of putting the instructions of the Tabernacle and garments into reality. As I read the details, I can sense a growing excitement in the camp of the Hebrews. With each item completed and each curtain sown, the excitement builds. At one point the people become so enthralled with the experience that their giving has to be halted by Moshe. The people are giving too much! Consider that one.
The days would turn to weeks and the weeks to months, then in an instant, it was done. We just can not imagine the emotions behind Ex 39:43 as Moshe and the people looked at the completed work of the Tabernacle in front of them. Not only was it finished, but it was finished exactly as Moshe had told them to do, exactly as he had been shown on the mountain. Consider that one. Not a single man’s opinion had entered into the equation.
The final pieces are put into place, but now what are they to do? Moshe had been told to build it and the people all come together and did it. Yah had told them He would then inhabit this tent, but what was that going to look like? They had not been given those instructions and in the excitement of coming together as one for the purpose of building the Tabernacle, no one had thought to ask.
I can just imagine these people, Moshe included, standing there at the base of Mt. Sinai and looking at this structure. Now there is one thing I have learned through my years of serving HaShem is that He acts like He has all the time in the world. What are the chances the glory did not come into the Tabernacle five seconds after it was finished? What are the chances that He waited just a little longer than most of the Hebrews thought He should wait to do something. What are the chances the people were getting a bit antsy and uncomfortable with their, “Now what?” looks.
I, for one, sure hope someone got a video of what happened in Ex 40:34, because I doubt anyone could possibly put the event into words. The glory enters the tent at a level that Moshe could not even walk in? It must have been a “WOW!” moment for all.
So what have we learned from these 16 chapters on the Tabernacle?
  1. We must have a model to go by: We can not think we can come up with our own model, ie, different days and diets, and expect Him to show up.
  2. We must have a pattern, and the pattern in Scripture is clear. It takes time, effort and giving of ourselves to be a Tabernacle worthy of His presence.
  3. We must have authority:  Not only must we submit to His authority, but also to those on earth He has chosen to lead us.
  4. We must leave our opinions at the door: His way of doing things is not open for our interpretation.
  5. We must expect the unexpected: The day we have it all figured out of how everything is going to happen will be the day nothing happens. Well, it will still happen, but we will miss it because we may be looking the wrong direction.
  6. We need to keep our poles in the Ark and our tent pegs shallow: Remember those poles which were to be left in the Ark? Remember that the tent pegs were only to be half in the ground and half out of the ground? The purpose was to be a reminder that this Tabernacle is not to stay in one place and become a museum. It was to be a guide to take the people home. And guess what, He still is! (Click to Source)
Shalom and Be Strong,
Mike Clayton
Joined To HaShem
Get online and get completely recovered! We are a Biblical Online Recovery Program that is life changing and empowering. We are Teen Challenge Certified Teachers and have integrated the world famous Teen Challenge PSNC curriculum for the most healing fusion of elements for your recovery. VRM is breaking the chains of addiction for a lifetime! Check us out!
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