Category Archives: Scripture

Scripture Studies

Exodus Chapters 33 to 34—Natan’s Commentary Notes

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Exodus 33

Exodus 33:1–2, YHVH…my Angel/Messenger.Who is YHVH and who is the Angel? If YHVH is the preincarnate Yeshua, then who is this Angel?

Exodus 33:7, Moses took his tent.There comes a time when the anointed servant of the Most High can no longer tolerate the sinfulness and faithless of the people he is leading. Even Yeshua, in frustration, despaired on several occasions at his disciples for their lack of faith. Once, in desperation, he cried out, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you?” (Matt 17:17). Holy men (and women) of Elohim are in a different place spiritually than the people they lead. As anointed and divinely appointed leaders, to lead YHVH’s people higher, they must be ahead of the people and their walk should be a little, if not a lot, higher. Their job is to lead people into a higher and deeper walk with YHVH. Sometimes, in frustration when they feel they have been less than successful in their mission, they must remove themselves from the people for a season to draw closer to YHVH for strength, wisdom, guidance and spiritual renewal as Moses did in this case.

A man who is holy or set apart unto YHVH can’t abide in an unholy situation. It’s anathema to him and causes every fiber in his being to cry out in frustrated disgust. He is in a different, higher world that carnal people know nothing about. This is why Moses had to separate himself from the Israelites—a stiffnecked and rebellious people who didn’t have a heart to follow Elohim.

Exodus 33:12–13, Grace.The mainstream church places a great deal of emphasis on the message of grace. The biblical doctrine of grace finds its roots in this chapter in the Torah and not in the apostolic writings as the mainstream church teaches. 

The noun grace (Heb. chen) is found six times in chapters 33 and 34. The adjective gracious (Heb. chanan and channuwn)as an attribute YHVH’s character is found three times in chapters 33 and 34. Six is the number of man and three is the number of Elohim. That is to say, the grace of the entire Godhead covers man completely even when his children turn away from him and give into golden calf worship. His grace for his people rejoices or triumphs over his fiery and consuming judgments (Exod 33:4; Jas 2:13; Pss 85:10; 89:14; Mic 7:18; Eph 1:7; Rom 5:8) that they deserve for their stiff-neckness and sinful rebellion against his commands (Exod 33:3).

The Hebrew word for grace is chen/IJmeaning “favor, grace, charm, acceptance.” The Hebrew word chen (found 69 times in the Tanakh), which is translated as grace, in this verse is equivalent to the Greek word charis/cariV, which is found 156 times in the Testimony of Yeshua and is translated as grace 130 times in the KJV.The equivalency of these two words is confirmed by the translators of the Septuagint (the Greek Tanakh) who used charis in place of chen when translating the Hebrew Tanakh into Greek beginning in the third century b.c. 

According to The TWOT, in the vast majority of occurrences of chen in the Tanakh, the focus of attention is not on the giver, but on the recipient. The emphasis is on the relationship of the superior to an inferior (e.g. a king to his subjects). What this teaches us is that despite sin and rebellion against him, YHVH (the king) is gracious (to humans, his subjects). Contrary to what many in the church have been led to believe, the grace of Elohim is a very prominent theme in the Tanakh. Examples of this include Noah who found grace in YHVH’s eyes (Gen 6:8), or the children of Israel although dead in their sins in Egypt and deserving of YHVH’s wrath, they were saved by the blood of the lamb. There are a number of other references to the grace of Elohim in the Tanakh as well (Gen 18:3; Exod 3:21; 33:16,17; 34:9; Ps 84:11; Zech 12:10).

Exodus 33:14, My Presence will go with you.YHVH’s Presence led the Israelites through the wilderness and into the Promised Land. Yeshua will lead his people through the wilderness of life and into the Promised Land of their eternal inheritance in his kingdom. Where is his Presence today in and among his people?

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Update on Natan’s Bible study and conversation on Skype

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This past Shabbat at 12 noon at US Pacific Standard Time (minus one hour for daylight savings time) about a dozen of us gathered together through Skype for a video fellowship where we feasted upon the manna from heaven—the Word of Elohim. Thank you to those who participated. It was a blessing.

The Word of Elohim is our manna from heaven!

We started our study by tagging some bases in the week’s Torah portion, then moved into the Gospel of John as per the Hoshana Rabbah Bible reading schedule. We also prayed for some needs of those in the study group.

Realizing that people from around the world in different time zones read this blog, we will be having our Bible study at different times of the day in an attempt to accommodate everyone wherever they may be, so that as many folks as possible can participate.

I am thinking that our next meeting will be this coming Shabbat early in the morning (my time). I will post the time and the link to click on to participate later on this week. Sometimes I will have a Friday evening meeting, sometimes an early Shabbat morning meeting, and sometimes an afternoon meeting, and sometimes a late Shabbat meeting. We will see which times are the most popular and go from there.

Stay tuned…

 

Blog Scripture Readings for 2/28 Through 3/6/21

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Parashat Ki Tisa — Exodus 30:11 – 34:35
Haftarah — 1 Kings 18:1-39 | Numbers 19:1-22, Ezekiel 36:16-38**
Prophets — 2 Kings 21:1 – 25:30; Isaiah 1:1 – 2:22
Writings — Proverbs 4:1 – 10:32
Testimony — John 7:53 – 10:42

Our new annual Scripture Reading Schedule for 2020-2021 with daily readings that began on 10/11/20 is available to download and print. The link to the previous 2019-2020’s Scripture Reading Schedule will still be available on the right sidebar under “Helpful Links” into next year. If you are using a mobile device or tablet, the link may be below, meaning you’ll need to scroll down instead.

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 or the “share your thoughts” box 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.

** A different Haftarah and/or Maftir is read when it is a special sabbath in Jewish tradition. This week it is Shabbat Parah on the traditional calendar. Otherwise, 1 Kings 18:1-39 would be read.

Weekly Blog Scripture Readings for 2/28 through 3/6/2021.

 

Join Natan today for a Bible study and conversation on Skype

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Hello friends of Hoshana Rabbah’s Bible Study Blog with Natan/Nathan Lawrence. Today (Shabbat, February 27, 2021) I will be hosting a Skye video conference meeting at 12 noon (US West Coast/Pacific Time minus one hour for daylight savings time) in approximately four hours from now. You are welcome to join the conversation by clicking on the link below.

Anyone who is a lover of Yeshua the Messiah and a Bible believer is welcome to join (non-believers are not welcome!). This will be a conversation (not a preach) guided by Natan where everyone can participate.

If you’re not sure how to use Skype, do a search on the internet and find out. It’s easy. Or simply click on the link below. You can use any electronic device and can join the conversation either by video or audio only (if you have had a bad hair day and don’t want anyone to see your face ;-0 ).

Who knows? This may be the beginning of new fun and exciting adventure for us Hebraic-minded folks who are lost and scattered sheep of the house of Israel, and who love Yeshua the Messiah the Living Torah-Word of Elohim and his Written Torah.

https://join.skype.com/LCkVYFIJU0Sh

 

Blog Scripture Reading for 2/21 Through 2/27/21

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Parashat Tetzaveh — Exodus 27:20 – 30:10
Haftarah — Ezekiel 43:10 – 27
Prophets — 2 Kings 14:1 – 20:21
Writings — Psalms 146:1 – 150:6; Proverbs 1:1 – 3:35
Testimony — John 5:1 – 7:52

Our new annual Scripture Reading Schedule for 2020-2021 with daily readings that began on 10/11/20 is available to download and print. The link to the previous 2019-2020’s Scripture Reading Schedule will still be available on the right sidebar under “Helpful Links” into next year. If you are using a mobile device or tablet, the link may be below, meaning you’ll need to scroll down instead.

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 or the “share your thoughts” box 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 2/21 through 2/27/2021.

 

Responding to the “Rabbi’s” Daughter Again…

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I found another terse comment from the so-called “Rabbi’s” daughter. Here is what she said followed by my comments:

The messiah is not Hashem the Father

Here is my comment:

You are correct. Yeshua is NOT HaShem because HaShem is a non-existent entity and a silly made up name by the rabbinic Jews as a result of a false, pagan doctrine they plagiarized from the Babylonians called the ineffable name doctrine. Scripture reveals nearly 7,000 times in the Tanakh that the name of the Elohim the Father is YHVH or Yehovah. Scripture also reveals that the name of Elohim the Son or Yeshua the Messiah is also YHVH. This is Bible 101.

Moreover, Scripture reveals that the Father is Elohim and that Yeshua is also Elohim. Elohim is a compound unity (the Hebrew word for this, in case you didn’t learn this in schul is echad) comprised of the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit.

The sephirotic “tree of life” in rabinic Jewish mysticism.

Doesn’t the sephirotic tree as your own “rabbis” teach define Elohim not just as being three entities but as being, what, ten entities of which the Father, Son and Ruach are only three? Do you deign to toy with me thinking that I don’t know these things that you rabbinic Jewish folks keep so well hidden from the Christians? The Trinity doctrine has nothing on you guys! You teach that the Godhead is ten!!!

Yes, Yeshua is not the Father, yet he and the Father are one. He said if you’ve seen him, you’ve seen the Father. Make of this what you will. Neither your brain nor mine is capable of comprehending the exact nature of the “Godhead,” so let us leave it there before we get into water that’s way over both of our collective heads.

Besides why to you care who Yeshua is? You don’t believe that he’s the Messiah anyway, so take a hike and stop trolling this blog. The gate here is now shut to you unless you show a genuine change of heart. Be blessed…

 

Answering the “Rabbi’s” Daughter

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The following comment came into this blog’s comment section today. I permitted it to be posted as an opportunity to comment. The writer purports to be the daughter of a “rabbi” whatever this is supposed to mean. By her comments, she is not a believer in Yeshua the Messiah, but proffers arguments against Yeshua’s Messiahship from the Orthodox Rabbinic Jewish perspective. Her arguments, though seemingly convincing on the surface, are actually quite shallow and easily refuted. Her knowledge of Scripture is superficial and of Jewish history is lacking, I point out in my rebuttal.

The reason I post this is for your education, so that you can help any fellow believers you know who are being swayed by the Antimissionary arguments of the rabbinic Jews.

Elsewhere, I have written extensively on some of the subjects she brings up. At the end of this post, I will post some links for those who care to go further.

Now here is the comment from the “rabbi’s” daughter:

Most people dont realize the role of Messiah, who have come o/o christianty and into a melting pot of teachings of which most only hold partial truth. Take into account the original language in which the Scriptures were written i.e. Hebrew, Aramaic… There are some words that were not translated but transliterated. The world “Messiah” is one of those words, from the Hebrew Mashiach. In Greek it is Christos. I know I’m preaching to the choir on this but let me explain to help you understand. So what does Messiah or Christ mean? It means someone who was anointed or SELECTED by YHVH ELohim, the Father, as ruler, king (1Kings 2:10-12). Hence, in the bible there are many Messiah’s. Examples: The temple priest Lev. 4:3, 6, 16, 6:22; The patriarchs Ps. 105:15; 1 Chron. 16:22; King Saul 1 Sam. 12:3, 5; 24:6, 10; 26:9, 11, 16, 23; 2 Sam. 1:14, 16, 21; King David 2Sam. 19:21; 22:51; 23:1 Ps. 18:50, 20:6, 28:8; King Solomon once in 2 Chron. 6:42, the pagan king Cyrus Isa. 45:1, the future messianic figure 1 Sam. 2:10, 35, Ps. 2:2, 89:51; 132:10, 17; Dan, 9:25-26; Hab. 3:13. AS you can see there are many “christs/messiahs” who preceded Y’shua. The title Messiah can not mean Hashem ELohim Himself, because Messiah or Christ (anointed) is the AGENT of the One True God (John 17:3) As messiah Y’shua/jesus, who is prophet, priest and king. That’s because The Father anointed him above all predecessors i.e. his companions Heb. 1;9. It is for this reason that Y’shua taught men to pray each day for the coming Kingdom of his ELohim, YHVH, and Father (Matt. 6:10)
The role of the Messiah(s) throughout all of the ages was to point mankind BACK to the FAther and to His Torah.

None of the prophecies of Daniel nor any other biblical prophet relate to Yeshua/Jesus nor to the Christian writings.

Allow me to be more clear:
Jesus never reigned as King of Israel. Messiah will.
Jesus never ruled as judge of Israel. Messiah will.
Jesus did not rebuild the Temple. Messiah will.
Jesus did not bring all Jews Home to Israel. Messiah will.
Jesus did not establish world peace. Messiah will.
Jesus did not end warfare. Messiah will.
Jesus did not oversee the Torah being written on the consciousness of the world. Messiah will.
Jesus’ followers increased antisemitism, he did not destroy it. Messiah will end it.

Jesus did not end world hunger. Messiah will.
Jesus did not bring idolatry to an end. Messiah will.
Jesus not bring global justice. Messiah will.
Jesus not restore the Ten Houses. Messiah will.
Jesus did not end all diseases. Messiah will.
Jesus never sat on the throne of David. Messiah will.
David was not his paternal father/anscetor as required of Messiah, Messiah will will be a paternal descendant of David haMelech.
Jesus did not lead all Jewish into becoming Torah observant.
Without a Jewish father Jesus had no Land Rights in Israel. Messiah will.
Jesus was not accepted by our sages and rabbis. Messiah will be.

There are SOOO many prophecies and conditions Jesus did not meet! Several people have come much closer than he. David Ben-Gurion came MUCH closer and he was not even religious! This is why the Christian apologists had to draw on the baseless claim of a “second advent.” Nothing in Scripture supports that. Messiah, when he comes, will establish Israel and meet all of the requirements and be accepted by our people as foretold. The you guys of the other nations will come to us as Noahidim (Zechariah 8:23).
I do not care if people choose to worship a god-man our father’s did not (read Deuteronomy 13) but as me, my household and this group, we worship HaShem alone. Missionary activities are not permitted here.
Y’shua may or may not be the returning Messiah, we will have to see, only Hashem knows. Y’shua even said that himself.

Natan’s response:

Let me be blunt, which you will probably not like. A serious disease requires a strong medicine. In this case, we are talking about the disease spiritual blindness based on bigotry and ignorance of the Truth of the full counsel of the Bible, the Word of Elohim and aquiescence and submission to the traditions of men by which the Word of Elohim is made of none-effect. Moreover, this is my blog, and I am duty-bound to point out many things that you have said that are not true biblically. Your comments, though containing some truths, are also full of a number of egregious and unbiblical errors, and are evidence of the fact that spiritual blindness has come upon (some of) Israel and the Jews as Paul the apostle, the Jewish Torah scholar par excellence, who was discipled by Gamaliel the First, the grandson of Hillel the Great, stated in his epistle to the Romans (Rom 11:25).

On this blog, we take a strong and firm stand against those who deny the Messiahship of Yeshua the Messiah—against the so-called Jewish “anitmissionaries.” Frankly, the only reason I have not deleted your anti-biblical, Antimessiah spiel is because your comments give me an excuse and an opportunity to address some important fallacies in what you say. So thank you. From now on, however, you will not be able to make posts to my blog quite so freely no that I know your heretical biblical position.

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