Blog Scripture Readings for 1-27 through 2-2-19

Aside

THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR STUDY AND DISCUSSION:

Parashat Mishpatim — Exodus 21:1 – 24:18
Haftarah — Jeremiah 34:8-22; 33:25-26
Prophets — 1 Kings 18:1 – 22:53; 2 Kings 1:1 – 2:25
Writings — Psalms 113:1 – 119:16
Testimony — Luke 16:1 – 19:48

Most of this week’s blog discussion points will be on these passages. If you have general comments or questions on the weekly Scripture readings not addressed in a blog post, here’s a place for you to post those. Just use the “leave a reply” link below.

The full “Read Through The Scriptures In A Year” schedule, broken down by each day, can be found on the right sidebar under “Helpful Links.” There are 4 sections of scripture to read each day: one each from the Torah, the Prophets, the Writings, and from the Testimony of Yeshua. Each week, the Torah and haftarah readings will follow the traditional one-year reading cycle.

Weekly Blog Scripture Readings for 1/27/19 through 2/2/19.

 

Blog Scripture Readings for 1-20 Through 1-26-19

Aside

THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR STUDY AND DISCUSSION:

Parashat Yitro — Exodus 18:1 – 20:23 (26)*
Haftarah — Isaiah 6:1 – 7:6; 9:5-6 (6-7)*
Prophets — 1 Kings 11:1 – 17:24
Writings — Psalms 107:1 – 112:10
Testimony — Luke 12:22 – 15:32

Most of this week’s blog discussion points will be on these passages. If you have general comments or questions on the weekly Scripture readings not addressed in a blog post, here’s a place for you to post those. Just use the “leave a reply” link below.

The full “Read Through The Scriptures In A Year” schedule, broken down by each day, can be found on the right sidebar under “Helpful Links.” There are 4 sections of scripture to read each day: one each from the Torah, the Prophets, the Writings, and from the Testimony of Yeshua. Each week, the Torah and haftarah readings will follow the traditional one-year reading cycle.

* Verse numbers in parenthesis refer to the verse number in Christian English Bibles when they differ from Hebrew Bibles or the Tanakh.

Weekly Blog Scripture Readings for 1/20/19 through 1/26/19.

 

Anticipated Dates of the Biblical Festivals for 2019

To help you to walk a more biblically centered life, here is a calendar of anticipated dates for 2019s biblical feasts of YHVH Elohim. These dates are based on the new month beginning at the first visible sighting of the crescent new moon from the land of Israel, and the new year beginning when the barley grain is abib in the land of Israel.

For more information on the biblical calendar that the Jews, Yeshua and his disciples used in the first century (as opposed to the later rabbinic or contemporary Jewish calendar or other calendars in use today), I invite you to read my articles on the biblical calendar at https://www.hoshanarabbah.org/teaching.html#feast.



 

YHVH and His Sabbath Vs. Stiff-Necked Rebels

Observance of the seventh day Sabbath was one of the first things YHVH taught his people after coming out of Egypt. This shows the importance of this commandment in the eyes of the Creator. Egypt is a biblical metaphor for this world, Passover is a picture of salvation and coming through the Red Sea is a picture of baptism for the remission of sins. This teaches us that Sabbath observance is one of the first acts of obedience that a new believer will do after “being saved.” All arguments to the contrary—about how the Sabbath was done away with or exchanged for Sunday—are meaningless, irrelevant and antibfiblical lies having been propagated by liars, deceivers and the biblically ignorant. Period.

Exodus 16:4–30, The Sabbath. This chapter chronicles YHVH’s efforts to literally force an irreverent, unruly and disobedient nation to keep the seventh day Sabbath.

YHVH endeavored to teach the Israelites the importance of the Sabbath in a most  poignant way and pragmatic way—through food and hunger.

It’s as if YHVH were instructing the stiff-necked and rebellious Israelites that if they refused to follow his Sabbath instructions, they would literally go hungry. “If you don’t obey me, you don’t eat.”

This shows the gravity the Creator places on the Sabbath command. Yet despite these clear instructions, most in the Babylonian (Rev 18:4) mainstream church today, like the rebellious children of Israel of old, refuse to obey YHVH’s clear instructions regarding the Sabbath. Instead, they prefer to believe the doctrines of men proffered to them by their spiritual leaders that purport to invalidate the Continue reading

 

Is there a connection between sin and sickness?

Exodus 15:26, I am YHVH that heals you. This is the first place in the Scriptures where YHVH promises to heal his people of sickness. Here is a list of other biblical verses containing similar promises: Deut 7:12 and 15; Pss 30:2–4; 34:18–19; 41:1;91 (entire chapter); 103 (entire chapter); Isa 40:28–31; 53:4–5; Jer 17:13–14; Mal 4:2; Mark 11:23–24; Luke 10:19; John 14:13; 15:7; 15:16; 16:23–24; Rom 8:31; 8:37; Phil 4:13; Jas 5:14–16; 1 Pet 2:24. Notice the stipulations that YHVH makes for his promise of healing to be fulfilled upon his people. His people must “diligently heed [Heb. shema meaning “to hear and to do”] the voice of YHVH by doing what is upright [Heb. yashar meaning “right, righteous, correct, straight] in his sight by obeying his Torah.

Is There a Connection Between Sin and Sickness?

What if any is the connection between the sins we commit and the sicknesses and diseases that come upon us? Much, as the Bible teaches.

First, let’s establish some basic truths.

  • Everyone will eventually die, so not all sickness is a result of sin (Heb 9:27).
  • Some sickness isn’t due to sin, but so that YHVH might be glorified when the person is miraculously healed (John 9:2–3). 
  • The purpose of some sickness is for spiritual refinement to bring us to a higher level spiritually as was the case with Job.

In a general sense, pain, suffering and death came upon all men because of Adam and Eve’s initial rebellion against YHVH Elohim in the Garden of Eden. As a Continue reading

 

What is the evil eye?

Luke 11:33–34, No one…eye is evil. As Jonah witnessed to Nineveh proclaiming the message of repentance (vv. 29–32), even so, Yeshua is teaching us that we must do the same to our generation.

Furthermore, if when proclaiming the gospel message of repentance (i.e. turning from sin or Torahlessness and turning to Yeshua) our eye is evil—a Hebraism indicating greedy or covetous person, then our whole message will be compromised or tainted. How is this? If we have been called to preach the good news or gospel of the kingdom of Elohim, but we’re in it to make money, then those hearing our message may view it as suspect because they see behind our preaching an ulterior motive. Are we preaching the message out of pure altruism and seeking no financial gain or other personal benefit, or do we Continue reading

 

The Gospel Message in the Israelites’ Wilderness Journey

Exodus 14:19, Angel [or Messenger] of YHVH. This is the preincarnate Yeshua—the Messenger or Word of Elohim before he was made flesh (John 1:1, 14).

Went behind them. Fire does two things: It both destroys and purifies substances depending on the durability of their composition. It consumes that which is flammable (e.g. wood, hay and stubble) and refines or purifies that which is inflammable (e.g. gold, silver and precious stones; 1 Cor 3:12–15). To those people whose lives are characterized by wood, hay and stubble, fire is a threat and terror; to those whose lives are gold, silver and precious stones, fire is welcomed, since they have nothing to fear; it will only make them better, not destroy them. Moreover, fire creates light. To those whose lives are characterized by light (truth and righteousness), fire is a positive thing, since it exposes sin and gives them light by which to go forward spiritually. To those people who are of the darkness (i.e. the world, the flesh and the devil), as was Pharaoh and Egypt, and who love sin and hate Elohim and his righteousness (John 3:19–20), fire and light are feared because it will not only expose their evil deeds, but will consume them in judgment. Therefore, the fiery flame that separated the Israelites from the Egyptians was a good thing and a blessing for the former and a bad thing and a curse for the latter. In fact, in Exod 15:7 in poetic terms the Egyptians are likened to stubble that YHVH destroys in his wrathful judgment. This same thing will occur again on a global scale when the earth is burned with fire and the wicked become ashes under the sole’s of the feet (Mal 4:3) of the righteous after the white throne judgment (Rev 20:11–15).

The Red Sea. The Israelites went through the midst of the Red Sea. Like the killing of the Passover lamb and the painting of his blood on the door posts, the Continue reading