Category Archives: Scripture

Scripture Studies

Genesis 32:3–36:43 Vayishlach (A Gospel Oriented Torah Study)

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This is a gospel-oriented Torah study. Our goal is to connect the good news of Yeshua the Messiah (the gospel message) to its Hebraic, pro-Torah roots or foundations. The information given here is more than head knowledge. Understanding and wisdom (the right application of knowledge that is based on truth) is taught thus making biblical truth practical, relevant and applicable to your daily life. The truths of the Bible not only have the power to transform your life here and now for the better, but eventually to take you past the veil of death and into eternity.

This Torah study is subdivided in sections by topic in a magazine format thus making it easy to watch at several sittings.

Free written study guides are available for downloading at

https://www.hoshanarabbah.org/parshiot.html.

May you be blessed as you watch this video.

 

Blog Scripture Readings for 11-26 Through 12-2-17

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THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR STUDY AND DISCUSSION:

Parashat Vayishlach — Genesis 32:4(3)* – 36:43
Haftarah — Obadiah 1:1-21
Prophets — 1 Samuel 4:1 – 10:27
Writings — Psalms 56:1 – 62:12
Testimony — Mark 4:20 – 7:37

Our annual Scripture Reading Schedule for 2017-2018 is available to download and print.

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 11/26/17 through 12/2/17.

 

A Psalm of Natan: How Love I Thy Word!

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Written Nov. 2017

In this crazy world where everything good and true is being turned on its head—reversed—such that up is now down, evil is now good, white is now black, and most humans are getting caught up and swept along in this tidal wave of psychotic madness, the only place I can find sanity is in the Word of Elohim—the Bible. This psalm is written with these things in my mind.

O how love I Thy Word…

My morning manna it has been,

Since I was a tender sprig.

Early I seek Your face before the sun shows its face.

Each morning your Light ignites my pilot light

Guiding my steps in Your way through my day.

In Your Word I daily cleanse my soul—

Washing my brain in Your river of life.

My filth is purged, my eyes widened to the Light.

A ladder to heaven is Your word

Showing me the upward way,

My heavenly destination it unveils.

 

Without a compass, most are wandering where?

Lured by the sirens’ song into the Dead Sea’s abyss,

To the lake of fire they naively slide,

Blind and giggling as they plummet.

But your Word keeps my foot firm and sure—

My destiny map to the olam haba,

Ascending Jacob’s ladder to Your renewed city from above.

 

Prized possessions?

Each has their lustful heart wrapped around.

Slaving hard to obtain—

A thirst impossible to quench.

But as for me, I grip your Word.

More precious it is to me than much gold!

 

In this ruined garden called the world,

Your Word lifts my eyes above this pallid plane.

Over the ambit I see Your heavenly paradise just ahead.

Joyfully I launch into the outer space of your Word,

I dive into the Bible’s bottomless depths.

Your Word is a universe of sunken treasure awaiting my discovery.

 

Breaststroking through the effluence of this world,

Crawling like a slug, beating the water, arms raising…falling,

I will never surrender.

Though icy fingers pull me down to sheol,

The crystal waters of your word well up,

Warm and icy all at once, they transport me.

Comforting and invigorating to the deepest cell,

I am refreshed and made alive.

Your word makes me buoyant lifting me heavenward like a rocket.

Goodbye world…forever!

 

Yeshua’s Boot Camp Experience—Precursor to His Launch into Ministry

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As believers in and disciples and imitators of Yeshua, we endeavor to follow the example of how he lived. This isn’t easy to do, for Yeshua experienced much that we as normal humans who prefer the comfort zones of our existence would rather not go through.

Yet, we must all face the stark reality: There is no gain where there is no pain. Every body-builder and athlete knows this. That means to be like Yeshua we will have to endure and overcome trials, suffering, resistance, hardships, persecution and growth pains. This is part of growing up spiritually.

The great thing is that Yeshua is there to help us along the journey with the help of his word and example. He also didn’t leave us comfortless—without the Helper of his Set-Apart Spirit to guide, strengthen and succor us along the way.

Now let’s take a look at what Yeshua had to go through to prepare him to be all that the Father wanted him to be, so that he could be a river of life to the world. This is an example for us to follow.

Mark 1–3

It is interesting to note the order of events as Yeshua was launching his ministry. He was about to enter a war zone! After John baptized Yeshua and he received his heavenly empowerment (Mark 1:9–11), he first went through a spiritual boot camp before stepping onto the battlefield of public ministry. Once in the “war,” it’s worth noting where the battle lines fell.

Yeshua’s spiritual boot camp was the wilderness where he fasted for forty days and nights to get his body, soul and spirit, and his mind, will and emotions in sync with the will of his Father in heaven (Mark 1:12–15).

His first battle was an internal one. The devil tested him in three areas: his body, soul and spirit, or, to put it another way, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life Continue reading →

 

Beware of Modern Day Labans and Balaams Who Promise Much and Deliver Little

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Laban and Balaam. It is quite possible that the false prophet Balaam, who heard from YHVH and had a sense of righteousness, though was still steeped in paganism, was a descendant of Laban. Both Laban and Balaam were from Aram (part of greater Babylon) and only 280 years separated them. One of the Aramaic Targums (Targum Jonathan) equates Balaam with Laban, while other scholars view Balaam as Laban’s grandson. Both were involved in a mixed-religious system—some truth and some error, some good and some evil. This is the nature of religious Babylon (meaning “mixture” or “confusion”). A mixture of what? Of good and evil. Remember the tree by that name in the Garden of Eden? Who was the one who enticed man to indulge in that fruit in rebellion to YHVH’s commands?

Even today, Satan the serpent is at the helm of spiritual Babylon trying to lure people into his system of good and evil. Like the tree of knowledge, the religious Babylon of today, out of which YHVH is calling his people (Rev 18:4), is just that—a mixture of truth and pagan lies. How else, for example, do we account for the name of the Christian festival called Easter or Ishtar named after the Babylonian sex goddess of fertility? Or how else do we account for the Christmas tree phallus symbol that also originated from Babylonian sex worship? Or how about the Easter egg (an ancient Babylonian fertility or sex symbol) or the egg on the Jewish Passover Seder plate? All these are symbols of pagan sex worship.

As YHVH called Jacob away from Babylon back to Beth-el (the House of El), and as YHVH turned Jacob’s heart back to the ways of his fathers, is not the same YHVH likewise now calling his people to come out of religious Babylon (Rev 18:4), to separate themselves from that which is unclean or not kosher (2 Cor 6:17)?

Yes, YHVH is pleading for the modern descendants of Jacob (redeemed Israelites or the Israel of Elohim, Gal 6:16) to not succumb to the lying forked-tongued Labans and Balaams of today who always over-promise and underdeliver—who would through deceptive lies pull Elohim’s back into their religious systems that are a mixture of truth and error. Elohim is urging his people to remember the good, ancient and blessed paths of the Torah of Moses his servant and to listen to the spirit of Elijah as the children’s hearts re turned back to the Hebraic fathers of their faith (Jer 6:16, 19; Mal 4:4–6).B

 

Laban—A Picture of Babylonian Power Over and Destruction of the Family

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The family is the foundational building block of society. It is a picture of the Godhead and the means by which the Creator intended not only to replicate himself, but to redeem man back to himself and then spread his kingdom on earth. What a glorious concept! The family is a most  beautiful thing because of what it represents and because of its Elohim-deisgned mission. Guess who hates Elohim and therefore wants to destroy the family?

Genesis 31:43, These daughters are my daughters. Laban claims that Jacob’s wives and children belonged to him. Laban was also steeped in the idolatry of Babylon having in his possession idols or images called teraphim (Gen 31:19, 34–35), which also represented his wealth and were good luck charms.

Is there a modern-day counterpart to this? Yes. Doesn’t modern Babylon want to control and possess the wives and children of redeemed Israel, indoctrinate them in its pagan religious system, and then keep Jacob’s modern descendants from returning to their spiritual and physical homeland and birthright inheritance, and from returning to the Torah-faith of their fathers? Are governmental institutions (e.g. public educational institutions and state and federal Child Protective Services agencies, social welfare programs, various government regulations that have greatly diminished or eliminated many of our personal freedoms along with Elohim-given parental rights), socio-political organizations (e.g. ACLU, UN) and greedy corporate systems (banking systems that enslave people through debt, corrupters of our food supplies that destroy people’s health, pharmaceutical companies and the mainstream medical establishment that enslaves and destroys people’s minds and bodies through drugs) modern-day Labans who want to kill, steal and destroy for the benefit of money, power and control? Again, yes.

Revelation 18:13 says that end times Babylon the Great will traffic in the souls of men. This speaks at some level of the modern day enslavement of people—of their religious expression, freedom of thought and action. In these end times, the saints of Elohim must protect themselves and their loved ones from idols and the evil machinations of the Elohim-hating, devil worshiping idolators.

Let us not forget John’s closing words in his first epistle: “Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21). An idol is anything that gets between us and Elohim, and which moves us downward and away from him on our spiritual path instead of upward and closer to him.

 

I Am Thankful for the Bible

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Thank you Yehovah Elohim for Your Word, the Bible and for Yeshua the Messiah, the Living Word of Elohim! I would be lost hopelessly wandering in the bleak wilderness of life pursuing the wind and vanity without your word. Soli Deo gloria!  — Natan

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Ps 119:105)

How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You! (Ps 119:9–11)

Your word is very pure; therefore Your servant loves it. (Ps 119:140)

I rejoice at Your word As one who finds great treasure. (Ps 119:162)

Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. (Joh 17:17)

For the word of Elohim is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Heb 4:12)

All Scripture is given by inspiration of Elohim, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness… (2Tim  3:16)

Bibles from Natan’s old Bibles collection

My oldest Bible: published in 1790. I found this Bible in a state of disrepair in stacks of thousands of books in the basement of a used bookstore in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 2008.

 

Genesis chapter one from my 1790 Bible.

 

This is the second oldest Bible in my collection—published in 1875. I rescued this Bible from  a trash heap.

 

The title page of my 1875 Bible.

 

Matthew chapter one from my 1875 Bible.

 

This huge 1882 family Bible was gifted to me several days ago by a client. It had been sitting in their garage for some 20 years. They knew I’d treasure it and they were right. I’ve always wanted a Bible like this.

 

The title page from my 1882 Bible.

 

This 1882 Bible contains many wonderful pieces of artwork including this picture of the wilderness tabernacle.

 

Another picture from the 1882 Bible.

 

 

 

This Bible was published in Germany in 1900 and was brought to America in 1906 by my German emigre great-grand parents.

 

The title page of our family’s 1900 German Bible.

 

 

This was my first Bible that my parents gave to me in about 1964 before I could even read. I would take it to church each Shabbat and pretend I was reading it when listening to the pastor preaching his sermons.

 

Some day, by YHVH’s grace, perhaps I’ll come across a Bible from the 1600s that I can add to my collection.

Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep Your precepts.I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Your word. I have not departed from Your judgments, for You Yourself have taught me. How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. (Ps 119 :97–104)