Capernaum by the Sea 12-27-2017

Having been rejected and run out of town in Nazareth, Yeshua returned to the fishing village of Capernaum, or Kefer Nachum in Hebrew, following His time in Jerusalem.  Capernaum would become a kind of base of operations for Yeshua’s ministry going forward.  The prophet Isaiah spoke of Capernaum and this region of the Galilee as a place which will see a great light. Capernaum is nestled on the northern shore of the Galilee near the border between the ancestral tribal lands of Zebulun and Naphtali. Yeshua would perform many miracles and healings here and His reputation will grow immeasurably.

By What Authority do You do These Things?

When Yeshua visited Jerusalem for a Passover celebration after He began His ministry, He threw the moneychangers and merchants out of the temple asserting His authority over the House of God. The Jewish leaders asked Him for a sign that what He did was from God. Yeshua wasn’t concerned at that time with convincing them that God had sent Him. After a time in in Galilee, Yeshua was back in Jerusalem for another Feast of the LORD.  This time Yeshua would assert His authority over the observance of the Sabbath. How does Yeshua explain the source of His authority? Why did He choose the Sabbath to make His point? 

A Prophet Without Honor 12-13-2017

After traveling from the Galilee to Jerusalem for the Passover, Yeshua perhaps spent several weeks in an around Jerusalem and Judea teaching and performing miracles.  His reputation grew and people came to hear his words and see the signs and miracles for themselves.  He taught them many parables, giving new insight and interpretation, always speaking of the kingdom of heaven.  But when it came time for Yeshua to return to his home in the Galilee, Yeshua, not unlike many of us today, experienced little respect from His family and friends in his home town.

The Message 12-6-2017

We examined Yeshua’s ordination ceremony during which He was baptized, anointed with the Holy Spirit, and tested in the wilderness. He has called His first disciples and provided a picture of His ultimate goal of the Messianic age when He turned water into wine at a wedding feast. Yeshua’s ministry has truly begun. After spending the winter at Capernaum probably teaching His disciples, Yeshua and His disciples went up to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. Who did Yeshua meet with during this journey to and from Jerusalem? How did He convey His message and what was His message? 

Water, Wine and a Wedding Feast

Following Yeshua’s 40 days in the wilderness, He returned to the place across the Jordan river where John was still preaching and baptizing the people of Judea and surrounding areas who had come to hear John’s message of repentance and return to the Torah of God.  While speaking and teaching his many disciples, John saw Yeshua approaching, and made a special announcement.  John was pointing out someone in the crowd.  Were his disciples straining to see who it might be that John called “the Lamb of God?”  Yeshua was certainly not the blue eyed, fair haired individual depicted in numerous paintings and such that permeate our culture today.  Yeshua would have looked gaunt and weathered after forty days of fasting in the wilderness. Yeshua did not, as yet, have an entourage of disciples and there was nothing to distinguish Him from the rest of the crowd.  But John recognized Him and understood that the world was about to change.

We Have Found the Messiah!

Before Yeshua began His ministry, He observed two important rituals. They were being baptized by John and being subjected to temptation by Satan, the adversary. What is the significance of these two events? Matthew has meticulously introduced Yeshua as the Son of David and the rightful heir to his throne, how do these two events reinforce Yeshua’s kingship and inaugurate His ministry? How do these events confirm that Yeshua is the Messiah and the Son of God?

Make Straight in the Desert A Highway for our God

The Bible tells us that Yeshua’s family fled to Egypt to escape certain death by order of King Herod. When they returned from Egypt they settled in Galilee instead of Bethlehem because they feared Herod’s son Archelaus, the new ruler of that region. What role did the political situation play in setting up the coming of the Messiah? In particular, did the corruption of the government and religious leadership die with Herod? The land of Israel, Judea, and Samaria were still under the watchful eye and control of Rome. Herod the great left three of his sons portions of his kingdom, but were they any less corrupt than their father?

 

Out of Egypt I Have Called My Son

After Yeshua’s birth, His family stayed in Bethlehem for up to two years. A visit from a group of Magi, or wise men, set off a renewed effort from Herod to eliminate any possible threat to his rule over Judea. Once Herod found about Yeshua, they had no choice but to flee from Herod. After the Magi found and visited Yeshua in Bethlehem, Joseph took his family to Egypt. What is the significance of including this event in the Bible? Why did God send Joseph and his family to Egypt?

For My Eyes Have Seen Your Salvation

It is entirely appropriate that this week’s Torah portion is titled “Vayera” which means “And He Appeared.” As we have been following the life and time of our Master Yeshua, we now come to the time of His birth; His appearing! Luke records that Joseph and Mary head off to Bethlehem, the ancestral home of Joseph’s family. Why would they travel to Bethlehem from Nazareth? Why travel so late in Mary’s pregnancy? Given the cultural norms of the day, Mary’s unexpected pregnancy during the time of her betrothal to Joseph would have caused somewhat of a scandal in Nazareth among family and friends. Because of the appearance of the angel Gabriel to both Mary and Joseph, they both knew the true identity and mission of the child Mary carried. Did they fully understand the prophecies concerning the coming of the Messiah? Or was this move to Bethlehem for another purpose?

 

These are the Generations of Messiah

The gospels of Matthew and Luke include genealogies of Yeshua. Matthew begins his in the very beginning. Luke places his genealogy later in his account, and, for some reason, the two accounts don’t agree. What does the latest research tell us about how these two genealogies both accurately describe Yeshua’s family? Why did Matthew and Luke include their genealogies? These genealogies are the last in a long line of genealogies scattered throughout the Torah and the writings of the Bible. What does the inclusion of these genealogies and their placement in scripture tell us about God’s redemption plan?

The LORD Remembers His Oath

Luke begins his Gospel narrative with the story of and elderly priest, Zacharias and his barren wife Elisheva. What is the connection between the birth of John the Baptist, the son born to Zacharias and Elisheva, and the birth of Yeshua? They are both miraculous births only a few months apart. How do these births compare to the births of Isaac and Samuel? Every barren woman mentioned in the Bible eventually bears a son who is set apart for God. The sons born to Elisheva and Miriam are no exception.

In the House of the Firstfruits

There are two books of the Bible that begin with the phrase, “In the beginning.” The first book of the Bible, Genesis, and the Gospel of John. What do these two books have in common? Did the apostle John deliberately open his gospel account with the words “In the beginning” to lead the reader or hearer back to Genesis? How does that change the way we read the gospel of John? What deeper implications does this have?

He Comes With His Saints

As Moses winds up his discourse to the Children of Israel on the Plains of Moab as they are poised to enter the Promised Land, he spoke one last blessing on the Children of Israel. He began his blessing by speaking of their triumphant entry into the Promised Land as a holy, set apart army in covenant with their God. All of the events of the book of Deuteronomy took place on the plains of Moab across the Jordan River from Jericho, nearly due east of Jerusalem 25 miles away above the Jordan River. Moses’ words following on the prophetic words of the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32 are, also, prophetic, both of their upcoming entry into the Land and their future coming led by Messiah Yeshua.

Yeshua and the Day of Atonement

This year, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, begins on Friday evening September 29th, 2017. This is the single day of the year that the high priest could enter into the Holy of Holies, into the presence of God as He was seated on the mercy seat. The high priest was to come into the presence of God and make Atonement for the children of Israel. He was to do this year after year, every year in perpetuity. Why is the Day of Atonement necessary? After all, the children of Israel are already in covenant with God. What does making atonement entail? How does Yeshua provide the perfect atonement and what does that really mean?

Give Ear, O Heavens, and I Will Speak

As Moses’ begins to wrap up his instructions to the children of Israel before they go into the Promised Land, He spoke the words of a song we now call the Song of Moses. Moses called on the heavens and the earth to hear and witness the words of this song. The heavens and the earth are nearly an eternal witness. They were the first things that God created. They will endure until God recreates the heavens and the earth. What does the Song of Moses contain that is so important it requires the witness of the heavens and the earth? What does it tell us about God’s plan for His people? How does it point to Yeshua?

Entering the Covenant of the LORD

As we approach the end of this year’s Torah Cycle, we are observing the Children of Israel about to enter the Promised Land. New leadership is being chosen and a new generation of Israel will finally receive the promise that God made to Abraham nearly 500 years prior. As Moses addresses the gathered Israelites and strangers who dwell with them, he presents them with an open invitation to enter the covenant relationship with God. This covenant renewal at the threshold of the Promised land was not for just the Children of Israel, but for the stranger who dwells among them and for those not present, for those of future generations, Jew and Gentile who chose to serve the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We are presented an open invitation to enter God’s covenant.

When You Come Into the Land

Moses spoke to the children of Israel on the plains of Moab across the Jordan from the land that God had promised them through Abraham about what they were to do once they received the land. Each year, they were to bring their firstfruits offerings to the LORD and declare that they had received the inheritance of the land that God had promised to give them. This was actually just the beginning of what they were to declare. What was the purpose of this yearly declaration? What else were they to specifically do when they entered the land? How does it all point to Yeshua? And what does it mean for our lives?

The Disobedient Son

One of the harshest judgments in the Torah is the prescribed sentence for a disobedient son. When a son will not obey his parents, the Torah tells them to bring the son before the elders which will result in the son’s death through stoning. Many parents today might remember times when their sons, usually when they were teenagers, flat out refused to obey. However, the irrevocable punishment of stoning would not occur to us; instead we are horrified at the thought of putting a son to death. When does the behavior of a son cross over this line and be deserving of this harsh punishment? What does this judgment have to do with Israel and Yeshua?

 

Who Shall be King, Priest and Prophet?

This Torah Portion contains references about the selection and affirmation of the king, the priest, and the prophet. Moses tells the children of Israel how to select a king and what principles should govern his behavior in Deuteronomy chapter 17. Moses describes the set apart or sanctified status of the priest and the qualities of a prophet of God in Chapter 18. The offices of king, priest, and prophets are so that the children of Israel will not follow after the ways of the Canaanites who were already in the Promised Land. What can we learn about our own lives through these instructions for the king, the priest, and the prophet? Yeshua, as the divine Son of God, fulfills all the roles of king, priest, and prophet. What do these instructions reveal about Yeshua’s threefold mission?

 

Seek the Place the LORD Chooses

Moses’ words to the children of Israel that were recorded in the book of Deuteronomy included instructions that were to be carried out in the Promised Land. One of these instructions was to seek for the place where God would put His name. After the children of Israel took the Land, they set up the Tabernacle of Meeting at Shiloh where it remained for about three hundred years. It was, then, moved to Kirjath Jearim before finally ending up in Jerusalem. Was the place that God would place His name wherever the Tabernacle was set up or was Jerusalem the place God had in mind all along? What were they to do at this place?

Remember the LORD Your God

As Moses spoke his final instructions to the children of Israel, he recited their history from the time God took them out of Egypt. He wanted them to remember that God is the one who brought them out of Egypt and led them in the wilderness. He reminded them that those forty years were to humble and test the children of Israel. It seems odd to us in this “name it and claim it” era of church doctrine that God wouldn’t just do everything the children of Israel asked Him to do. How did God humble and test His People? What was the purpose of God humbling them and testing them? Does God still humble and test His people?

These Words Shall be in Your Heart

During Moses’ last instructions to the Children of Israel during his last week before his death, he told them to put the words that he spoke into their hearts.  These words are God’s instructions. How did God communicate them? What exactly are they and how do you put them in your heart?

Beyond the Jordan

The Book of Deuteronomy opens with Moses’ final words that he will speak to them before his death and before the cross the Jordan to take the Promised Land. Moses and the children of Israel are still at the plain of Moab across from Jericho. It was in this place that Balaam and Balak tried to curse Israel and were unsuccessful. It was in this place where the children of Israel were seduced into worship of Baal Peor and were saved by Phineas’ swift action. What is the spiritual and prophetic significance of this time and place?

 

Bound by Vows and Oaths

Vows and oaths are part of every community of people. In the marriage vow, husband and wife agree to observe specific behaviors. In a courtroom, the witnesses swear an oath that the words they speak are true. God told the children of Israel that they were bound by their vows and oaths. What does this commandment reveal about both God’s character and His people’s characters? What does Yeshua teach about vows and oaths? How important are vows and oaths?

Set a Man Over the Congregation

The children of Israel were camped in the plains of Moab right across the Jordan River from Jericho. They were ready to go into the land, but who would lead them. Miriam and Aaron had already died and God had told Moses that he would die soon. Moses was concerned for the people and who would be their next leader. Moses asked God to set a man over the congregation of Israel. What are the characteristics of this leader? We know this next leader will be Joshua, how did Joshua meet these characteristics? What was his mission? Where do we see Yeshua in Joshua, the man God set over the children of Israel?

 

The Spiritual Battlefield

After forty years of wandering, the children of Israel were finally at the borders of the Promised Land! They had carefully skirted around the land held by Edom, the descendants of Esau. They had fought and won battles against the Amorites. Now, poised on the edge of the territory of Moab, they turned their focus toward the Promised Land. However, danger was not to come from their enemies in the Promised Land, it was to come from an unexpected source behind them. Trouble was coming from the Moabites! It wasn’t a physical threat, though. This threat would turn out to be a spiritual threat. How did the children of Israel deal with this threat? What does this incident tell us about God’s protection from spiritual forces? How do we deal with spiritual threats?

The Water from the Rock

Ever since the second month after the Exodus from Egypt, God provided water for the children of Israel through a rock that followed them throughout their travels. Now, as their forty years in the wilderness is approaching an end, the rock suddenly stops giving water. The children of Israel arrive at the wilderness of Zin, Miriam dies, and there is no water. What happened? Why did God cut off the water supply just as they are getting ready to enter the land? What does this tell us about Yeshua?

You Shall Know that the LORD has Sent Me

After God told the children of Israel to turn away from the Promised Land after their refusal to go into the land, dissension rose up in the camp. Korah, a Levite and cousin of Moses and Aaron, accused Moses and Aaron of taking too much authority. As we shall see as we examine this passage, Korah’s motivation was his desire for power and position. He wanted to be both leader and high priest, the positions that Moses and Aaron held. The congregation was ready to follow Korah; after all wasn’t it time for a new leader? Moses and Aaron hadn’t led them into a land flowing with milk and honey as they had promised! But, God was about to demonstrate to the congregation just who belonged to Him and whom He had sent. Yeshua would face these same challenges; how were the people to know that God sent Him?

 

The Power of God

As the children of Israel approached the Promised Land they stopped and camped at Kadesh in the Wilderness of Paran. From there, they sent out twelve spies or explorers to discover what they could about the land and people living there. But ten of those sent out brought back a negative report of land and a frightful report about the inhabitants. There at the doorway to the Promised Land, they doubt the power of God to take them in. Yeshua sent out twelve disciples into the Promised Land. What does that tell us about their belief in the power of God? What does that tell us about our belief in the power of God? What happens when we doubt? What does it cost God to forgive us when we doubt?

 

Journey at the Command of God

When the children of Israel came out of Egypt, they arrived at Mt. Sinai and stayed there for nearly a year before continuing their journey to the Promised Land. The children of Israel began their journey from Mt. Sinai to the Promised Land when the cloud of the presence of God lifted off the tabernacle. When this happened, it was the signal to break camp and follow God. As we examine how the children of Israel knew when to camp and when to break camp, as well as where to go, we learn more about God’s guidance in our own lives.

The Sanctity of the Camp

As the second year after God delivered the children of Israel from Egypt began, the tabernacle was completed and God’s presence entered; He took up his residence in the middle of the camp of Israel! Because of God’s presence in the camp, the entire camp had to maintain a state of cleanliness. The tabernacle is long gone as is the temple that followed it. What does it mean today to maintain the cleanliness of the camp? Who is the camp?

 

Marching Orders

The Book of Numbers opens with a listing of the tribes of Israel, the number of men available as soldiers and where each tribe is located in the camp. The opening chapters of the book of Numbers makes for some dry reading. We wade through lists of names and families. Why did God include these disconnected names and endless numbers of people in the Bible? What does this reveal about God and His character? How does this point to Yeshua our Messiah?

 

The Land Shall Have Its Sabbaths

The weekly Sabbath was first observed by God on the seventh day of creation. He rested from all His work and set aside the seventh day as holy because of it. When the children of Israel entered the Promised Land God told them not only to observe the weekly Sabbath, but to observe a Sabbath for the land. Does the Sabbath of the Land, also, have its roots in the creation? What does the Sabbath of the Land tell us about God? What is its prophetic significance?

You Have and Appointment With God!

God set up specific times that He wants His people to gather together, spending time with each other as well as with Him! The usual translation calls these appointed times feasts. What are these appointed times or feasts? Why did God choose these times? How does observing these times help us to draw near to God?

From the Cloud Above the Mercy Seat

The Day of Atonement, In Hebrew called Yom Kippur, is the one day of the year that the High Priest goes into the Holy of Holies and sprinkles the blood of the sin offerings right on the mercy seat. Why is this day necessary? Sin offerings for the priests, the nation, the rulers, and the individual people are brought continually throughout the year. What is different about bringing the blood into the Holy of Holies and why is it important?

 

Biblical Leprosy, a Sign or a Scourge?

Probably one of the oddest topics in the Bible is that of a person who has leprosy. The Bible spends two full chapters just talking about it. It begins with the diagnosis and ends with what to do if a house has leprosy. Clearly, this is not an ordinary disease! In fact, the instructions on how to treat leprosy would at times almost ensure that the disease would spread. So what is leprosy as described by the Bible? Why is so much time spent on it? And why is it so important?

 

The Mystery of the Sin Offering

When we think of the ministry of the priesthood, we think of bringing the offerings of the people before the LORD. When the tabernacle was dedicated and Aaron brought the first offerings before the LORD, he did so for himself and his sons as well as the collective children of Israel. The scriptures describe Aaron bringing the offerings for the people in Leviticus 9:15-17. What happens after the required portions of the offering are burnt on the altar? Parts of the offerings are set aside for the priesthood. Are these portions just part of the compensation package for the priesthood, or is there a spiritual significance to these portions?

 

Keep the Fire Burning

When God is giving Moses the instructions on how to draw near to Him, which we covered in our last blog, When You Draw Near, God elaborates on the importance of keeping the fire on the altar burning. This verse alone states twice that the fire must always be kept burning. The entire passage states this requirement five times! God doesn’t want us to miss this point!

 

When You Draw Near

God’s desire is to have a relationship with the people He created, both individually and collectively. He chose the Children of Israel specifically to be His people. He told them to build a Tabernacle for Him so He could dwell among them. When the Tabernacle was completed, God’s glory entered the Tabernacle. God was dwelling in the middle of the camp of the Children of Israel. But there was a problem; no one could approach the Tabernacle, not even Moses. Even though the physical Tabernacle of God was right in the center of the camp, no one could actually enter the Tabernacle. How could God have a relationship with man if no one could approach Him? How could man relate to God when they had to keep their distance? How could man know God and be able to trust Him to care for them when they couldn’t draw near?

The Day of Completion

After the construction of all the articles for the tabernacle and its furnishings, Moses gave an accounting of all the materials used. He verified that it was done according to all the instructions given to him by God! The Tabernacle of God was built from items willingly given for that purpose by the children of Israel. They gave so much that Moses had to stop them from bringing more! Gifted artisans among them, led by men chosen by God, carefully and lovingly constructed the tabernacle and all its furnishings according to the pattern God gave to Moses. This entire account is an incredibly deep and multi-faceted picture of Yeshua and His congregation.

The Scent of Sweet Incense

When we think of the altar of God, we think of the bronze altar outside the tabernacle or temple. All the offerings of the people were brought to this altar. But there was a second altar, a golden altar inside the tabernacle, and, later, the temple. The priests were to burn incense on it twice a day. The desire to bypass the priesthood and offer incense before the LORD led to the downfall of more than a few people in the Bible. Competing to light the lamps of the menorah, which were lit at the same time the incenses was burned, didn’t seem to inspire such desire. Why did the people have such a desire to bring incense before the LORD? Why is God so particular about who brings offers the incense? What do the incense and its altar represent?

 

Put on the Holy Garments

The apostle Peter wrote a letter to the sojourners of the diaspora who were among the elect who have received sanctification through the blood of Yeshua. Peter addresses many issues in this letter including the suffering of the believers for the sake of Yeshua. In spite of the suffering and the persecution they were facing, Peter exhorts believers to live holy and righteous lives. He reminds us that we are to be a royal priesthood and a holy nation. The garments of the High Priest reveal how we are to accomplish this.

Bring Me and Offering

After God spoke the ten words to the children of Israel at Mt. Sinai accepting them as His people, Moses went up the mountain to get further instructions directly from God. The first instructions God gave to Moses involved taking an offering. This is a special offering. What is its purpose? Why is it so important that only those with a willing heart contribute? Why did God emphasize that it was His offering by using the phrase “My offering?” How does this instruction apply to us today? What implications does it have for the return of Yeshua?

 

The Angel of His Presence

When the children of Israel were gathered at Mt. Sinai, God spoke all the words we call the Ten Commandments. Moses drew near to God at the base of the mountain. While he was there, God continued to speak to Moses elaborating on the Ten Commandments. Then God told Moses that His angel would go before them.

Who is this Angel that God promised would lead them, keeping them on the right path and guiding them to the place God had prepared for them? Does this Angel appear elsewhere in scripture? What can we learn about this Angel of God?

 

The Children of Moses

When Moses and the children of Israel arrived at Mt. Sinai, Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, brought Moses’ wife and two sons to him. Moses had originally brought his wife and sons with him when God sent him to bring his fellow Hebrews out of Egypt. But, Moses sent them back to Midian to wait while only he and Aaron traveled on to Egypt. They are once again back at Mt. Sinai and Moses is reunited with his family.

 

War with Amalek

The children of Israel had left Egypt and had almost arrived at their destination of Mt. Sinai. While camped at Rephidim, only a couple days from Mt. Sinai, they faced their first battle. Amalek attacked them at their camp. After this battle, God tells the children of Israel that they will have war with Amalek in every generation. What did God mean by this statement? Why did this battle occur at this place and time? What does war with Amalek signify?

 

Pharaoh's Heart

During the contest between God and Pharaoh when God was bringing the plagues against Egypt, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart so that He could demonstrate that He is God. Many people think that Pharaoh should not be held accountable for his refusal to let the children of Israel go because it was God who hardened his heart. At least, this is what our English translation lead us to believe. The original Hebrew reveals what is really going on.

 

I Will Take You as My People

God sent Moses to deliver his people from slavery in Egypt and to bring them into the land that He had promised to Abraham. Moses, with Aaron as his spokesman, went into Pharaoh and demanded that Pharaoh allow the children of Israel to go and worship God. I don’t know what Aaron and Moses expected, but Pharaoh not only refused to allow the children of Israel to go worship God, he made the conditions of their slavery even worse! When Moses went to God asking why this happened, God assured Moses that it was all in His plan and everything was now set up for God to deliver His people.

 

The King Did Not Know Joseph

While Joseph lived and ruled under Pharaoh, the Hebrew people lived safely and prosperously in the region of Goshen in Egypt. But after Joseph died, things changed drastically. Joseph’s deeds were forgotten or dismissed. Instead of seeing the Hebrew people as those who brought deliverance in the time of famine, they were seen as threats. God had prospered the children of Israel as He had promised and the Egyptians are both jealous and afraid. This pattern has been repeated throughout history and continues today. It is the pattern of the future and the fulfillment of prophecy.

 

May God Make You Like Ephraim and Manasseh

At the end of Jacob’s life, he called his son Joseph to bring his grandsons Ephraim and Manasseh to his side so he could bless them before he died. As Jacob blessed them, he prophesied over them with these words.

Genesis 48:20 NKJV 20 So he blessed them that day, saying, "By you Israel will bless, saying, 'May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!'" And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

Why did Jacob single out Joseph’s two sons? What is the significance of this blessing and prophecy? Why is the younger son, Ephraim, listed first?

 

Joseph Wept

We are all familiar with the shortest verse in the Bible, John 11:35, “Jesus wept.” Children in Sunday School classes like to memorize this verse to earn their gold star for memorizing a Bible verse. And it is a good verse for children to memorize demonstrating that Jesus experienced the depths of grief at the death of His good friend Lazarus, and compassion for the grief that Mary and Martha experienced at the death of their brother. In this teaching, we look at the five times that the Bible records that Joseph wept.