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.
Here is a list of scriptures that speak of “abiding” with or in YHVH in some way.
YHVH, who shall abide [Heb. goor meaning “to sojourn, dwell for a time, stay for a while, to assemble oneself with, to seek hospitality with”] in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? (Ps 15:1)
I will abide [Heb. goor] in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. (Ps 61:4)
He shall abide [Heb. yashab meaing “to sit down, to set, to remain, to stay”] before Elohim for ever: O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him. (Ps 61:7)
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide [Heb. luwn meaning “to temporarily lodge, pass the night, stop over”] under the shadow of the Almighty. (Ps 91:1)
I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide [Gr. meno meaning “to remain, to sojourn, tarry, not to depart, to continue to be present, to be held, kept, continually] in darkness. (John 12:46)
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide [Gr. meno] with you for ever. (John 14:16)
Abide [Gr. meno] in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide [Gr. meno] in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide [Gr. meno] in me .… 6 If a man abide [Gr. meno] not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned .… If ye abide [Gr. meno] in me, and my words abide [Gr. meno] in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you .… If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide [Gr. meno] in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide [Gr. meno] in his love. (John 15:4–10)
Let that therefore abide [Gr. meno] in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall abide [Gr. meno] in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. … But the anointing which ye have received of him abide [Gr. meno] in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing [chrisma, that which is smeared with oil] teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide [Gr. meno] in him. 28 And now, little children, abide [Gr. meno] in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. (1 John 2:24, 27–28)
Humans Are Like Tree
In several places, the Bible poetically likens humans to trees.
But his delight is in the law of YHVH; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. (Ps 1:2)
For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: 4 And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses. (Isa 44:3)
Blessed is the man that trusteth in YHVH, and whose hope YHVH is. 8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. (Jer 17:7)
Abiding in Yeshua, the Tree of Life — A Study of John 15:1–10
Now let’s combine the concept of abiding, humans being like trees and Yeshua as it relates to his teaching about abiding in him. Here is what Yeshua says in John 15:1–10:
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide1 in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide2 in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide3 in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth4 in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in me5, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. 9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide6 in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide7 in his love. (John 15:1–10; the superscripted numbers indicate the word abide occurs seven times in the passage as it relates to a righteous person abiding in Yeshua.)
Yeshua relates the concept of abiding in him to a plant or a tree with branches. What are the spiritual implications of abiding in Yeshua and do we abide in him?
The term abide is found nine times in this passage. Seven of the those nine times are in reference to abiding in Yeshua or his Father. Seven is the biblical number of completion or perfection. When we abide in Yeshua and his Father, then we’re made perfect or complete in all areas of our life: spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally. The result is that we will bear much spiritual fruit for him; namely, we will produce the fruit of the Spirit in our lives (Gal 5:22–23).
Let’s explore the spiritual dynamics of abiding in Yeshua that enable us to be spiritually complete and to produce good fruit that will result in changing the world around us for the better, and keep us on the path of righteousness, which leads to eternal life as sons and daughters of Elohim in his heaven on earth kingdom.
Here is what we can learn from John 15:
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).
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
This video is a history lesson discussing the events that happened affecting the early church between A.D. 70 (when the Romans destroyed the Jerusalem temple) and A.D. 135. During this time, the early church largely cut itself off from its pro-Torah, Jewish/Hebrew roots. By the middle of the fourth century, the new Roman Catholic Church hardly resembled its apostolic original. This video helps you to understand why the modern church has beliefs that are very different from, and, at times, opposed theologically to the original apostolic church of the first century.
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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.
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.
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).
The Torah (the first 5 books of Scripture: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) are the very words of YHVH Elohim as revealed to the children of Israel and written down by Moses. It forms the foundation for the rest of the Bible. In pre-apostolic times, the Jews divided the Torah into weekly portions called a parashiot (singular, parashah). There are 54 of these Torah portions read during a leap year, which has 13 months. During a 12-month year, the smaller Parshiot are doubled up so that there are 50 portions read.
Typically the entire Torah is read in one year, ending at the biblical fall Feast of Tabernacles (in Hebrew, Sukkot). After Sukkot, the Torah cycle starts over again with Genesis 1.
Torah Explorers is perhaps the only study guide of its kind in the English language that’s available for free and that’s gospel oriented. It’s specifically written for pre-teens and teens, but is highly recommended for anyone (including) adults who want to explore the pro-Torah Hebrew-Jewish roots of the Christian faith.
Torah Explorers is also unique in that it was written by a pastor and Torah teacher who as a follower of Yeshua (Jesus) himself started walking in the Torah as a young child, and has continued to do so more than 50 years later.
The author of Torah Explorers developed this teaching tool for his own four children and those of the congregations he and his wife shepherd. We hope that Torah Explorers will help to ground all those who read and study it in the full counsel of Elohim’s Word (from Genesis to Revelation), and help them to establish a foundation for a righteous lifestyle, and point them to a life-giving and intimate relationship with Elohim through his Son, Yeshua the Messiah, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Torah Explorers is not only an instructive commentary on the Torah, but it is also an interactive and thought-provoking study guide with questions and Scriptures to look up to find the answers. It is ideal tool for individuals and groups. We recommend that the readers keep a special notebook wherein they keep their Torah Explorers printouts along with their notes and answers to the questions.
Torah Explorers everyone how to study the Bible while at the same time washing them spiritually with the water of Elohim’s Word (Eph 5:26). It is our goal to help raise up the younger generation to be obedient to the Torah commandments of YHVH and to be followers of the Yeshua—the identifying characteristics of the end time saints (Rev 12:17; 14:12).
Find Torah Explorers at Torah Explorers http://hoshanarabbah.org/parshiot.html.