Category Archives: Weekly Scripture Readings

Blog Scripture Readings for 3/16 through 3/22/14

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THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR STUDY AND DISCUSSION:

Parashat Shemini — Leviticus 9:1 – 11:47
Haftarah — Numbers 19:1–22; Ezekiel 36:16–38**
Prophets —Isaiah 27:1 – 33:24
Writings — Proverbs 9:1 – 15:33
Testimony — John 19:1 – 21:25; Acts 1:1 – 2:39

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.

**A different Haftarah is read when it is a special sabbath in Jewish tradition. This Shabbat is traditionally known as Shabbat Parah and Ezekiel 36:16-38 is read.

Weekly Blog Scripture Readings for 3/16 through 3/22/14.

 

Are You Smeared in Oil, Dipped in Blood?

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Leviticus 8:12, Anointing oil … consecrates [Heb. kadash]. The Hebrew word kadash signifies the state of something that belongs to the realm of the sacred, and which is set-apart for divine use and has been separated from the sphere of the secular, common or profane. The Bible often uses the term holy (meaning “set-apart”) to signify this state of being. The word of Elohim designate many things as set-apart:

  • The ground upon which YHVH is standing (Exod 3:5; Josh 5:15)
  • The people of Israel (Exod 19:6; Deut 14:21; 26:19)
  • The Sabbath (Exod 16:23; 20:8)
  • The Tabernacle of Moses (Exod 26:33)
  • The garments worn by the high priest (Exod 28:2)
  • The altar of sacrifice (Exod 40:10)
  • The offerings made on the altar (Lev 6:18)
  • YHVH’s feast days (Lev 23:2)
  • The camp of Israel (Deut 23:14)
  • Heaven as the abode of Elohim (Deut 26:15)
  • YHVH Elohim (Job 6:10; Pss 22:3; 78:4; 99:5)
  • Zion and Jerusalem (Ps 2:6; Matt 27:53; Rev 22:19)
  • The Spirit of Elohim (Matt 1:20)
  • The angels (Matt 25:31)
  • The servants of Elohim (Mark 6:20)
  • The name of YHVH (Luke 1:49)
  • Yeshua (Acts 2:27; 3:14)
  • YHVH’s prophets (Acts 3:21)
  • The saints (1 Pet 2:9; Rev 22:11)
  • The Torah (2 Pet 3:21)

YHVH’s people are to learn to make a difference between that which he designates as being kadash (holy) and that which is profane (Lev 10:10). In order to do this, one must know what YHVH defines as set-apart and then align our thinking and lifestyle with that.

The act of consecrating someone (or something, e.g. Exod 30:26) as occurs in Leviticus 8:12 often involves the ritual of pouring olive oil on them to signify their being set-apart for a special work or service. This is called anointing (see Exod 28:41; 29:7; 1 Sam 16:12; 1 Kgs 1:34; Isa 61:1; 2 Cor 1:21).

Yeshua’s title is Messiah (Heb. Mashiach) literally meaning, “one who is anointed, smeared or consecrated with (olive) oil.” The English word Christ derives from the Greek word Christos, which is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word mashhiach. In Biblical thought, the Messiah would be One coming from heaven who would possess a super-anointing of the Spirit of Elohim (Isa 11:1–10; 42:1–21; 61:1–3; John 3:34) to accomplish the purposes of Elohim on earth.

Leviticus 8:23, Right ear. (also Exod 29:29) According to the Jewish sages, the putting of the blood on the right ear, thumb and toe of the priest signified the priest’s covenantal agreement to conform himself to the high spiritual calling to which YHVH had appointed him. He agreed to hear and understand, achieve or act and to walk in the ways of Elohim as a spiritual leader of YHVH’s people.

The sages also stress that blood of the sacrificed animal placed on the priest’s ear, thumb and toe symbolizes the death and giving up of that which is profane in the priest’s life and his spiritual rebirth or revival to the set-apart (holy) work and service of YHVH. This ceremony pictures self-surrender and giving oneself up at the altar of YHVH’s service. This is the greater issue behind the concept of sanctification.

Sanctification is more than a label; it’s a lifestyle characterized by service and obedience to one’s spiritual master. This points forward to the purpose of the spiritually regenerated redeemed believe who becomes a new creation in Messiah (2 Cor 5:17; Gal 2:20) and who is no longer his own, since he has been bought and paid for by Yeshua’s blood (1 Cor 6:20; 1 Pet 1:18–19).

 

New Video: The Gospel Message in the Biblical Sacrifices

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How did the Levitical sacrificial system point forward prophetically to the death of Yeshua the Messiah on the cross as an atonement for men’s sins? This video connects the dots and helps make these ancient ceremonies spiritually relevant to you.

 

The Promise of Power from Above

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John 14:16, Comforter.

The Spirit of Elohim Energizes our Spirit to Keep the Torah
At the end of his ministry, Yeshua promised his disciples to send them his Holy Spirit or Comforter after he had left earth (John 14:16). He declares that his Holy Spirit would dwell in them (John 14:17), would testify of him (John 15:26), would convict the world of sin (or Torahlessess, John 16:8), would guide them into all truth (i.e., Torah, see Ps 119:142,151), would tell them things to come (John 16:13), and would glorify the Son and speak to them on behalf of the Son (John 16:14).

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How, therefore, does the Spirit of Elohim interact with man? Man is a three-part being: body, soul and spirit (1 Thess 5:23). The body is the physical part of man, the soul is the personality or beingness of man (his mind, will and emotions), and his spirit is the part of man that points him God-ward, and that, once spiritually regenerated and enlightened by the Spirit of Elohim, connects us to Elohim. Man must come to the Father by way of his spirit (John 4:23–24). The Father reveals his spiritual mysteries to man by his Holy Spirit to the spiritually regenerated spirit in man (2 Cor 2:6–16).

There are numerous scriptures that attest to the fact that at the time of our spiritual rebirth (a.k.a. conversion, regeneration, redemption or salvation), YHVH activates our spirit with his Spirit, thus allowing us to enter into a spiritual relationship or communion with him. This is important to know, since man can’t properly obey Elohim out of his soul (the mind, the will and the emotions) alone without the leading of his spirit. Taken to the next step, Continue reading →

 

Blog Scripture Readings for 3/9 through 3/15/14

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THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR STUDY AND DISCUSSION:

Parashat Tzav — Leviticus 6:1 (6:8)* – 8:36
Haftarah — Deuteronomy 25:17–19; 1 Samuel 15:2–34**
Prophets —Isaiah 20:1 – 26:21
Writings — Proverbs 2:1 – 8:36
Testimony — John 14:1 – 18:40

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 Bibles, which can at times differ from verse numbers in Hebrew Bibles.

**A different Haftarah is read when it is a special sabbath in Jewish tradition. This Shabbat is traditionally known as Shabbat Zachor and Deuteronomy 25:17-19 is read.

Weekly Blog Scripture Readings for 3/9 through 3/15/14.

 

Unintentional Sin Vs. Willful Sin

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Leviticus 4:1–33, Atonement for unintentional sin.

Listed in this chapter are the steps priests (verses 3–12), the people (verses 13–21) and the leaders (verses 22–26), or people of the land (verses 27–35) had to take to deal with sin. These four categories cover all people on earth: the priests, the Israelites, the leaders of Israel, and everyone else (all the Gentiles). Yeshua’s blood atonements is sufficient to cover all humans. The steps to make atonement for unintentional sin prophetically point to Yeshua’s death as a sin offering for man. They include offering a young bull on the altar (i.e., Yeshua’s death on the cross), the sinner laying his hands on the bull (i.e., confession of one’s sins and transferring those sins to Yeshua), sprinkling the blood of the sacrifice before the veil of the holy of holies (i.e., a picture of Yeshua’s blood being presented before the throne of Elohim on man’s behalf), sprinkling blood on the altar of incense (i.e., Yeshua interceding on the sinner’s behalf before the throne of Elohim, and the sinner himself worshipping YHVH and offering up prayers of repentance), the blood is then sprinkled on the ground at the base of the altar of sacrifice (i.e., the earth is cleansed from defilement because of man’s sin.

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Leviticus 4:2, Sins unintentionally.

This chapter deals with the sin offering for unintentional or inadvertent sins that occur through carelessness. By contrast, there is no animal offering to atone for an intentional sin (The ArtScroll Tanach Series Vayikra Commentary, p. 72). Elsewhere, the Torah spells out the fate for those who sin presumptuously or intentionally. They were to be cut off from Israel, which is tantamount to a death sentence (Num 15:30). YHVH pronounced such a harsh sentence on the willful sinner because he had defiantly despised the word of YHVH—the Torah (Num 15:31). After this exhortation in Numbers, the Torah then gives an example of one who had sinned willfully. The penalty for this was death (Num 15:32–36). The Testimony of Yeshua discusses this type of sinful behavior as well in what has become known as the unpardonable sin (Heb 10:26 cp. 6:4–6).

 

Why Animal Sacrifices?

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The Purpose of Sacrifice

The concept of animal sacrifices may be a hard for modern people to comprehend — especially for those who are squeamish when it comes to death and blood. This ancient ritual, rooted in the nomadic lifestyles of the inhabitants of the Middle East, carried more symbolic significance for a people whose daily existence was tied to the earth and dependent on domestic animals for their survival. It is out of this cultural background that the biblical narrative springs and with it the ritual symbols with which the ancient people described therein could relate. With these things in mind, the following is a list showing the main reasons for YHVH’s establishment of an animal sacrificial system as a means to help man to understand spiritual lessons far beyond the actual sacrifice itself.

  • The Levitical system foreshadowed and pointed to the Messiah’s ultimate sacrifice (Heb 9:11–12).
  • The tabernacle offerings were specifically designed to spiritually draw the offerer near to Elohim through the sacrifice of a prescribed animal (Ps 51:16–17; 50:12–15 cp. 1 Pet 2:21).

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  • Elohim commanded offerings to assist the offerer to better understand himself; his attitude, and his personal relationship with Elohim (e.g., Gen 3:21; 4:3–5; 8:20; 22:1–2 cp. 1 Cor 11:28).
  • Altars were erected by the patriarchs in order to honor Elohim through sacrifice after having had direct contact with him (Gen 12:6–8; 13:18; 26:24–25; 35:1; 35:2–4; Exod 17:13–16; cp. Exod 20:12).
  • Proper and regular sacrificial offerings kept the children of Israel in direct contact with the Elohim of the patriarchs (Exod 5:3; 10:25; cp. 1 Tim 2:5).
  • To make the offerer holy (set-apart) so that he would be allowed to approach and commune with the Set-Apart Elohim of Israel (Isa 43:15; 57:15; Lev 19:2 cp. 2 Cor 6:16–18).
  • Under certain circumstances, blood, as used in the Levitical system, could serve as Continue reading →