Category Archives: Weekly Scripture Readings

The Connectedness of YHVH’s Word

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Deuteronomy 27:15–18, The commandments are all inter-connected. To the casual reader, the admonitions contained in these verses may seem to be arranged in a random order, but this is not the case.

Consider the following: The prohibition against idolatry (verse 15) is juxtaposed with that of degrading one’s parents (i.e., not honoring one’s parents, or as S. R. Hirsch states in his commentary, “who outwardly is respectful to his parents but inwardly considers himself vastly superior to them”) along with trespassing against one’s neighbor’s property by removing his neighbor’s boundary markers or landmarks.

Now consider this: One who does not honor and fear YHVH but turns to idolatry (the second commandments) will not honor one’s parents (the fifth commandment) (and vice versa) will likewise not honor the property of one’s neighbor (including his neighbor’s wife). Juxtaposed next to these commands is the prohibition against misleading a blind person (verse 18). This means that we should not take advantage of his blindness by advising him in a way beneficial to us and detrimental to him.

Juxtaposed to that is one who steals justice from another by perverting judgment against one who is weaker socially or financially or who is less informed at law than another thereby giving the advantage to the stronger (The ArtScroll Davis Edition Baal HaTurim Chumash/Devarim, pp. 2126–2127).

Can you see how each command is interrelated with all the others? Does this not give one insight into the curious statement found in James 2:10, which declares that if you have broken one commandment you have  broken them all? We can see that in one way or the other, all of YHVH’s commandments are inter-related, all depend on each other, and they all stand or fall together.

Now relate James 2:10 back to verse eight where the entire Torah-law can be summarized as the “royal law of love.” As you review YHVH’s list of prohibitions in Deuteronomy 27 can you see any other relationships between these juxtaposed concepts? Learning to exegete (draw truth out of) Scripture in this manner will yield a whole new level of spiritual revelation to the reader.

 

Are you a blasphemer? Don’t say “No” too quickly!

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On the one hand, many people claim to love the God of the Bible, and on the other hand, they are, often unwittingly, blaspheming him. How is this possible?

Deuteronomy 28:15, To the voice of YHVH. What is the voice of YHVH? Is his voice the voice that uttered the Torah at Mount Sinai? Is it the voice of his Spirit inside of you? Is it the voice of Yeshua as largely recorded in the red letters of the Testimony of Yeshua, or is it the entire Word of Elohim called the Scriptures?

If his voice is all of the above, then should any parts aspects of his voice contradict with any other?

If we have a theology where one aspect of YHVH’s voice contradicts with and another and we believe something he has said has been “done away with,” then what does this imply about the mind and nature of YHVH? There is a psychological term for this. It is called schizophrenia, a dual or multiple personality disorder or insane.

Now we would never dare label YHVH with such terms, for to do so would be blasphemy, yet many of our religious beliefs make YHVH into something that he is not, and we risk become an unwitting party to attaching this blasphemous labeling to the Almighty Creator if we subscribe to these false theologies.

One things is certain. YHVH is not a liar, nor does he ever contradict himself. If there seems to be a problem with inconsistency in YHVH’s Word the problem is with our ­misunderstanding or misinterpretation of it, and NOT with the actual Word or voice of YHVH!

 

Who was at fault—Elohim or man?

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Hebrews 8:8, Finding fault with them. What was the fault of the first covenant? The Torah-law of Elohim, or the people who failed to abide by the terms of the covenant, i.e, the Torah? The next verse gives us the answer: “because they continued not in my covenant…” The Israelites were at fault.

YHVH gave Israel his Torah-laws (or instructions in righteousness) to teach them how to love him and to love their neighbors (Mark 12:29–31). If they followed his Torah-instructions, he promised to bless them (Deut 28:1–14), and declared that all would go well with them (Deut 4:30). Of course, we know the sad history of ancient Israel and how they rebelled against YHVH again and again. There was nothing wrong with his Torah laws, which said, you shall not murder, steal, commit adultery, lie, covet, kidnap, commit homosexuality or incest, worship false gods, take YHVH’s name in vain, keep his Sabbaths, don’t practice divination, honor your parents and so on. What’s wrong with these? Nothing. The fault was with the people who failed to abide by these standards of righteousness, and this is exactly what the author of Hebrews is saying here. Because the people broke their contractual or covenantal agreement with YHVH and literally abandoned him for false gods, he was forced to make a new covenant with other people who would have the heart and love and obey him. This is exactly what Jeremiah prophesied would occur, and the writer of Hebrews is simply quoting Jeremiah in this passage. What is the main difference between the first and second covenants? As the Israelites of old didn’t have the heart to obey YHVH because of the hardness (or carnality) of their hearts (Heb 3:8, 15; 4:2, 7), YHVH promised through Jeremiah to renew his covenant with the descendants of the ancient Israelites (i.e., the house of Israel and the house of Judah, Jer 31:31; Heb 8:8), but this time, by his Spirit, he would write his Torah-laws on their hearts and in their inward parts, so they wouldn’t resist obeying him, but would desire to be pleasing in his sight. So the fault was with the hard-hearted Israelites, not with YHVH standards of righteousness called his Torah-laws!

 

 

Some Troubling Verses in Hebrews 7 Explained

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Hebrews 7:12, Priesthood being changed…a change also of the law [Torah]. The Greek words for being changed and a change are respectively metatithemi (a verb) and metathesis (a noun). The the verb means “to transpose, to transfer, to go or pass over, to fall away or desert from one person or thing to another.” Many people interpret this verse to mean that YHVH’s Torah-law was changed (i.e., invalidated or annulled) by the new covenant, but is this what the author is saying here?

Before going further in our discussion, let’s lay out some basic truths of the Scriptures.

YHVH doesn’t change (Mal 3:6; Heb 13:8; Jas 1:17). The word torah [in English, translated as law] means “instructions, principles, teachings” and came directly from YHVH to his people. The Torah teaches men how to love YHVH and love one’s fellow man. It is YHVH’s instructions in righteousness and reflects his very character and nature. Who YHVH is doesn’t change.

It is a sin (a violation of the Torah) to change the Torah (Deut 4:2; 12:32).

So in this light, what is this verse really saying? It declares that the priesthood was changed. The Levitical priesthood that was temporarily and parenthetically inserted into the Melchizedek priesthood (both priesthoods are revealed in the Torah, see Exod 19:2, 4 cp. 28:1; 32:29). In the former priesthood, a father acted as the priest over his family Continue reading →

 

Is Tithing for Us Today?

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Velvet Offering Bag Full of Money

It’s amazing to me how most Bible teachers in the church adamantly declare that the law of Moses was done away with along with the so-called ceremonial laws, yet they ardently hang on to the tithing law. Interesting…!

Deuteronomy 26:11, You shall rejoice. Bringing one’s tithes and offerings to YHVH is to be a joyful event since it is a reflection of our gratitude to him for abundantly blessing us. (Compare this verse with 2 Corinthians 9:6–11.) Giving to YHVH is a form of worship since it allows us to put our treasure where our heart is (Luke 12:34). Please join me in praying this prayer:

Father, help us to give to you out of the abundance of our hearts joyfully and with gratitude for your blessings and bounty in our lives. Help me not to be a fair-weather giver only, but to give out of obedience, even sacrificially, that we may learn to have faith in your promises of provision and to obey you no matter the circumstances. Amein.

(For a brief study on tithing and giving, please see my teaching entitled, “Is Tithing for Us Today?” which is available on our ministry website at http://www.hoshanarabbah.org/pdfs/tithing.pdf.)

A Quick Study in Biblical Truth: Tithing
Is Tithing for Us Today?

(In this quick study, biblical researcher Ya’acov Natan Lawrence is not offering the reader an exhaustive treatment of this topic, but rather a quick synopsis based on his extensive research in pursuit of truth. In doing so, he has evaluated biblical, linguistic, Christian and Jewish sources.)

YHVH in his Word, the Bible, instructs us,

Honor YHVH with thy substance [wealth, riches], and with the firstfruits [beginning, best, first, chief, choice part] of all thine increase [produce, product, revenue], so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. (Prov 3:9–10)

How do those seeking to obey YHVH’s Word fulfil this command?

To tithe or not to tithe, that is the question in many people’s minds these days. In light of the misuse of church members’ tithes and offerings by many church organizations and ministries for questionable purposes, and in light of the money-grubbing tactics of many Christian media outlets and televangelists, many are now questioning whether tithing is a biblical principle that was for ancient Israel only, or whether it is a universal principle that applies to all men at all times.

These are fair questions and valid concerns. But let’s be certain that our course of action one way or the other is determined by the Word of YHVH, not by personal experience or human’s mishandling or scriptural principles. To determine doctrine and theology based on Continue reading →

 

Blog Scripture Readings for 9-18 Through 9-24-16

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THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR STUDY AND DISCUSSION:

Parashat Ki Tavo — Deuteronomy 26:1 – 29:8 (9)*
Haftarah — Isaiah 60:1-22
Prophets — Micah 2:1 – 7:20; Nahum 1:1-15
Writings — 2 Chronicles 2:1 – 8:18
Testimony — Hebrews 5:1 – 10:39

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 9/18 through 9/24/16.

 

The Fraud of Diverse Weights and Measures

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Finger an der Waage

Deuteronomy 25:13–16, Different weights. When the Torah was written there was no money. Coinage originated around 600 B.C., about 1000 years after the Torah was written.

Prior to coinage, people carried around nuggets of gold and silver and a certain amount would be weighed out using stone weights as a counter balance. Dishonest merchants would carry two sets of stones: a heavy and a light stone. If a stone was represented as weighing one shekel the dishonest merchant would have a stone weighing more than a shekel for cheating a seller when buying goods, and one weighing less than a shekel for cheating a buyer when selling a good.

What are some modern parallels of dishonest weights and measures? For example, at your job, do you charge your employer for eight hours when in reality you only worked seven and three quarters? Do you give an honest day’s work to your employer or clients (if self-employed)?

How many times have you gone to the store to buy some ice cream or a can of juice and you get home and you read the label and it’s a now a smaller volume or weight than before, but for the same price? How about a box of cereal or chips? The box is large, but in reality it is only half full. The rest is air. This is a form of false advertising. You pay more and get less.

The deception of false weights and measures comes in many forms. Inflation is another example. Your money is worth less and less as time goes on. This is due to the fraudulent practices of the greedy mega-bankers who control the world economies. The list goes on of examples of diverse weights and measures. This is how most of the mega-rich get become wealthy—by cheating others. But the rich aren’t the only ones guilty of this sin.