Messiah in Life

We continue to consider the meaning of spiritual leprosy, and how we may find evidence of that today. What is the opposite of the "evil tongue"? Are we expected to just say nice things in order to be nice? Or, does the Lord show us something profound as we "love our neighbor" as ourselves? We consider the words of the Torah, Messiah Yeshua/Jesus, and the apostles of our faith. Give a listen. 

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How you ever gossiped about someone? How did that gossip make you feel after the other person found out? Or, when your gossip continued to spread, but not exactly how you said it, how then did you feel? Were you able to reconcile? How did the Lord restore lepers in the Bible? How did Yeshua/Jesus restore lepers? In the process we find something beautiful about who we are in Him, and why, when He restores us, we are restored indeed....

The 8th day! How do we find holy meaning in everyday life? Can there be importance in the most basic aspects of human life? Absolutely. There is a beautiful connection between the intricate details of the priests beginning their ministry, and how the ordinary person in the camp can experience the same level of holiness. While the portion may seem disconnected, appearing to have two very different subjects, the Lord in His mercy is ...

This week we begin the Book of Leviticus. Often, people find Leviticus a difficult book to study. With the subject of sacrifice, ritual purity and impurity, clean and unclean foods, leprosy, holy time, and a season of release, what does any of this have to do with faith in Messiah Yeshua/Jesus?

This week we consider "calling," as Vayikra means, "And He called." The life of Moses provides a wonderful way...

The certificate of occupancy of a home, the assurance that the structure has been built to specifications. We, in faith, have an even greater assurance of our acceptance: the Holy Spirit. As the Book of Exodus concludes, Moses assembles and disassembles the Tabernacle during the time of sanctification of the priesthood. The Lord showed His approval of the project by filling the Tabernacle. What can we learn from this? Is there a wa...

When the Lord gives us sacred work, does the immediacy of the new sacred work set aside His call for us to rest? The children of Israel were deep into the fabrication of the Tabernacle when they receive a reminder: rest. What do we learn from this? What do we learn from a dramatic linguistic parallel to the account of creation and the account of the Tabernacle? What of the language of work and service, and its connection to sacred ...

This week we take a look at a lesson from the sin of the golden calf. What lesson in faith do we learn from this? What does Moses mean when he asks to behold God's glory, or for Him to show Moses His way? Why these questions from this incident? How does this incident inform our walk with Messiah Yeshua/Jesus? Give a listen. 

References: Exodus 32:1-14; 32:32; 33:13, 19; Luke 5:36-38; Matthew 5:1-12; 2 Timothy 3:5; 1 J...

There is a strange shift in the Torah narrative, from the legal matter of Mishpatim (Judgments), to the constructive narrative of the Tabernacle. What is the Lord showing us? Can we understand the nature of "contribution," or terumah, differently when we understand the nature of giving itself? We find a teaching on transformation, not destruction, and a transformation from being selfish to being more selfless. Give a list...

In this week's Torah portion, the Lord seems to be making a radical departure from a more personal narrative, to one that seems to focus on the legal matters of a nation. Is there a reason for this besides the obvious? Can the Lord be teaching us something important for the life of faith in Messiah Yeshua/Jesus? Yes, and amen. The Lord begins to transform memory. Give a listen. 

References: Exodus 21:1; 23:9; Leviticu...

As the children of Israel make their way physically and spiritually to Mt. Sinai, how does the Lord ensure that, following the war with Amalek, that His people will not become a covered or withdrawn light? Enter Jethro, the father in law to Moses. What important lesson to we learn from Jethro that continues to teach us today? How are a nation of leaders led? How are a nation of priests served? How does the wisdom of Jethro help us ...

How does the Lord heal a nation of freed slaves? In the wonders shown to Israel during the exodus, was there, perhaps,  a secondary purpose to them, beyond the obvious? The fulfilled promise, the parted waters, the bitter waters, the manna from heaven, and  the water from the rock, how do these miracles help in the recovery of a generation of God's people who suffered under Pharaoh? In the Lord's grace and mercy, He gave ...

As Egypt experiences the judgment of God through the plagues, the children of Israel are given a yearly and daily reminder of their time as slaves in Egypt. For what purpose? Why do we remember? Why do we share generational testimony? How does the Lord keep our hearts from becoming hardened, just as Pharaoh's heart was hardened? What would this hardening produce in us as we carried the Gospel over the mountains to those who ne...

The "sign miracle" of  Aaron's staff being turned into a serpent. What is the meaning behind it? Why, when the Egyptian magicians so easily replicated it, did the Lord command for it to be a sign to Pharaoh? How does this help to harden Pharaoh's heart? How do we reconcile the hardening of Pharaoh's heart, and the hardening in part that has come over Israel, according to the apostle Paul? Is there a message...

As we open the Book of Exodus, we find the Lord beginning to "attend to" His people as they face dire circumstances. Often, what appears to be an end is a beginning, what appears as a loss, will become a victory. Moses is born under a death decree, but is delivered to be an heir of the very Pharaoh who issued the decree. Why? Moses was saved from death, raised to an exalted status, only to find himself as an unknown sheph...

We conclude the opening book of the Torah, Genesis. This portion focuses on the life of Jacob in Egypt with his beloved son Joseph. Yet, in a touch moment of blessing, Jacob blesses and adopts the sons of Joseph in order to give them, and Joseph himself, a future hope. Then Joseph, as the day of his death approaches, uses a phrase that will appear in the calling of Moses, and, according to Rashi, serves as a code word of sorts to t...