Category Archives: Weekly Scripture Readings

Dealing With the Communicable Disease Called Sin

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Overview of Parshiot Tazria-Metzora (Lev 12–13 and 14–15)

Often these two parshiot are combined in the yearly Torah reading cycle depending on how the Jewish calendar falls for the year. Their combining together is likely due to the fact that each is relatively short and deals with related subjects: namely, the ritual purity laws. As we shall see, the causes of ritual impurity involve sin issues. The Torah prescribes procedures that the afflicted person had to follow in order to be deemed cleansed and thus be readmitted into the camp of Israel. All the rituals prophetically pointed to Yeshua’s atoning death on the cross.

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These two parshiot dealing with diseased and unclean persons immediately come after the laws concerning clean and unclean meats (Lev 11). What the Israelites ate as well as the state of their physical bodies was an important aspect of holiness in the eyes of YHVH.

From these two parshiot, we learn that an unclean person could only become clean through the atoning blood of a sacrificed animal or through ritual cleansing of water by which he was reconciled to Elohim and brought back into the camp of Israel. What can we learn from the juxtapositioning of these subjects (i.e., the laws pertaining to unclean meats and unclean people) in the Torah? Simply this. Man can easily become impure and defiled because of his innately depraved, crooked, and wicked heart that is at enmity with the laws of Elohim (Jer 17:9; Rom 8:7). Since the fall of Adam, man has been in a state of impurity from Elohim. Thus, sin separates him from the presence of Elohim and from his fellow Israelites. Only the sin-atoning blood of Yeshua can bring him to a place of purity where he can be reconciled to the Kadosh (Holy) One of Israel, and become part of the camp (i.e., the congregation of the saints or kadosh ones) of YHVH.

Leviticus 12:1–8 deals with the purification of women after childbirth. Adam Clarke in his commentary states that in the woman’s having to bring a sacrifice after the birth of her child, Elohim keeps up the remembrance of the fact that through woman, sin entered the world. He also keeps up the memorial of sacrifice to show that the state of a sinner, howsoever deplorable, is not hopeless. In every ceremony, we may see both the justice and the mercy of Elohim. Hence, while we have the knowledge of our spiritual impurity, we have also the knowledge of our cure—the sacrifice of an innocent animal, which always points to Yeshua who once and for all, in his sacrificial death, cleansed us from sin’s impurity. Continue reading →

 

New Video: Food for Thought—You Are What You Eat

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In this video, learn the heart and spirit behind the biblical dietary laws. This issue involves a whole lot more than just health—it’s about holiness. Following the biblical dietary laws help…

  • us to control what goes into our mouths, so that we’ll be able to better control what comes out of them.
  • to teach us self control.
  • to teach us how our scruples about what we eat physically directly relates to what we eat spiritually.
  • to show us how a biblical diet can help hold the community of redeemed believers together, and helps the saints from assimilating into the world.
  • to raise our level of consciousness on the subject of holiness by teaching us how to separate the holy from the profane.
  • us to place a greater value on our bodies as the temple of the Holy Spirit.
  • to sharpen our spiritual acuity so that we’ll get more out of the Word of Elohim.
  • to become more holy (set-apart from the pollutions and defilement of this world) as YHVH Elohim is holy (set-apart).

 

 

Blog Scripture Readings for 4/7 through 4/13/13

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Parashat Tazria-Metzora — Leviticus 12:1 – 15:33
Haftarah — 2 Kings 7:3-20
Prophets — Isaiah 62:1 – 66:24; Jeremiah 1:1 – 3:25
Writings — Job 2:1 – 8:22
Testimony — Acts 16:1 – 19:41

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 4/7 through 4/13/13.

We are instructed in Vayikra/Leviticus 23:15-16: “You shall count for yourselves – 
from the morrow after the Shabbat, 
from the day when you bring the Omer of the waving – seven Shabbatot [weeks], they shall be complete. 
Until the morrow after the seventh Shabbat 
you shall count fifty days; 
and you shall offer a new meal offering to YHVH.”

This is the 2nd week of the counting of 7 weeks.

 

Food For Thought—You Are What You Eat

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What is the heart and spirit behind the biblical dietary laws? I will, in part, attempt to answer this question the following brief teaching.

The Genesis creation account records that YHVH Elohim made man in his own image (Gen 1:26). As such, the first humans, Adam and Eve, had spiritual communion with their Creator. Though man fell quickly to the temptation to sin, which separated him from a sinless, set-apart and righteous Creator, YHVH has desired to redeem man from the power of sin to be set-apart (holy or in Heb. kadosh) as he is set-apart (e.g. Lev 11:44).

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Israel was redeemed from YHVH’s judgment against sin when they sacrificed the lamb on Passover and painted the blood on the door posts of their homes. YHVH then immersed Israel in the Red Sea (a picture of baptism for the remission of sins) and led them to the foot of Mount Sinai. YHVH revealed his Torah-truth (his instructions, teachings and precepts in righteousness) to the nation of Israel from Mount Sinai so that they could become a set-apart (kadosh) kingdom of priests (Exod. 19:6). He was showing them the pathway of righteousness so that after having been redeemed by the blood of the lamb—a direct prophetic picture pointing to Yeshua the Lamb of YHVH slain from the foundation of the world—they could have fellowship with him by avoiding sinning by walking in the straight and narrow path of righteousness.

Part of the walking in a loving relationship with a righteous and totally set-apart (kadosh) YHVH involves keeping his commandments as Yeshua said in John 14:15. To know and to love YHVH is to obey his commandments (1 John 2:3–6). Those who love him and back up their belief in him with the actions of obedience (faith without works is dead, Jas 2:14–26) are better off than the demons who believe in Elohim only, but do not back up their belief with obedience to YHVH’s righteous commands. Those who love and obey YHVH are called set-apart ones or saints. Scripture defines saints as those who keep (i.e., observe or do) the Torah commands of YHVH and who also have the testimony of faith of Yeshua, the Messiah, Savior and Redeemer of mankind (Rev 12:17 and 14:12). Those who obey (hear and do) YHVH’s Torah commands will be called the greatest in the kingdom of Elohim while those who disregard the Torah and its commands will be called the least—so says Yeshua in Matthew 5:19!

Keeping YHVH’s dietary laws as outlined in the Torah is a foundational aspect of living a righteous and set-apart lifestyle. If one expects to be a member of the king-priest class in YHVH-Yeshua’s future kingdom, one must begin preparing for this role by keeping YHVH’s Torah in spirit and in truth (as Yeshua taught us in the Sermon on the Mount). Continue reading →

 

Blog Scripture Readings for 3/31 through 4/6/13

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Parashat Shemini — Leviticus 9:1 – 11:47
Haftarah — 2 Sam 6:1 – 7:17
Prophets — Isaiah 54:1 – 61:11
Writings — Proverbs 26:1 – 31:31; Job 1:1 – 22
Testimony — Acts 11:1 – 15:41

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 3/31 through 4/6/13.

 

He Is Risen!—Proof of the Resurrection from Isaiah

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Here is proof from the Tanakh (Torah, Prophets & Writings aka Old Testament) that Yeshua’s resurrection was prophesied some 700 years before his death on the cross. This is found in a phrase from Isaiah 53:11 that is missing from most of our English Bibles.

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Isaiah 53:11, See the light. The Qumran Great Isaiah Scroll translates verse 11 as follow:

Of the suffering of his soul he will see light and he will find satisfaction. And through his knowledge his servant, the righteous one will make many righteous, and he will bear their iniquities” (The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible, by Abegg, Flint and Ulrich, p. 360; Harper Collins Publishers, New York, N.Y.:1999).

Note the highlighted portion that is missing in the Masoretic text from which our most common English Bibles’ “Old Testament” portions are derived. The New International Version (NIV) translates this verse as follows and notes in its footnotes that this phrase originates from the Isaiah Dead Sea Scroll and from the Septuagint (LXX):

After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light [of life] and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.

Note the Septuagint (LXX) translation of this verse:

The Lord also is pleased to take away from the travail of his soul, to shew him light, and to form him with understanding; to justify the just one who serves many well; and he shall bear their sins. [translated by Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton (1807-1862) originally published by Samuel Bagster & Sons, Ltd., London, 1851]

Light in bible is synonymous with life. In Bible times, a late night traveller would see light in a house and know there was life therein. The phrase in this verse, “he will see the light”, speaks of resurrection from the shadows of death into the light of life. What else could this mean except that Messiah would resurrect from the grave?

 

Does Peter’s Vision Tell Us to Eat Pork?

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Many Bible believers view Peter’s vision in Acts 10 as proof that it is now permissible for disciples of Yeshua to eat non-kosher food, like pork, which the Torah (law of Moses) forbids. Is this so? Here is a short answer to this question.

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Acts 10:13–15, In Peter’s vision of the sheet covered with unclean animals the voice from heaven commanded him three times to kill and eat these unclean animals. Peter was confused by the meaning of this vision since being a Torah-law abiding Jew he knew that eating unclean meat was forbidden and in good conscience he could not do that which was contrary to YHVH’s Torah-law, for to do so was sin (sin is the violation of the law, 1 John 3:4).

Often visions are metaphorical in nature and not literal. There are many examples in the Scriptures of people receiving metaphorical visions. Just read the books of Daniel and Revelation, for example. Indeed, Peter’s vision was no exception, for no sooner had the vision ended when three Gentile men appeared at his door seeking the gospel and the Spirit of Elohim bade Peter to go and to meet them. Peter then realized that the interpretation of vision was that he should not call any man common or unclean; that is, the gospel message is for all whether Jew or those of the nations (verse 28). The Bible interprets itself in this passage and the issue is not about whether it is now permissible to eat non-kosher meat or not, but rather the Spirit of Elohim was now directing the apostles to begin taking the gospel to the Gentiles, who by Jewish standards were considered common and unclean (verse 28).

Now consider this. If Yeshua had meant to say in Matthew 15:11 and Mark 7:18–19 that it was now permissible to eat all foods including those meats that the Torah prohibits to be eaten (e.g., pork, shellfish, etc.), presumably Peter would have known this, since he was present when Yeshua made the statement (see Matt 15:15). If Peter knew that Yeshua had given the okay for his disciples now to eat unclean meat, why then did Peter so strongly object when the voice from heaven commanded him to eat the unclean animals in the vision (Acts 10:13–14)? Obviously, Peter had not changed his opinion about not eating unclean meat, since Yeshua had never annulled the Torah command forbidding the eating of unclean meats in the first place.