When most people think of “the Law of Moses,” they don’t get warm fuzzies. But God’s people shouldn’t be most people. According to this week’s Torah portion, God’s people should be the exception to the rule, and should have a connection with the Torah deep within our hearts. Through Moses, God told the Children of Israel that when they took His commandments seriously and lived them out, the nations would recognize this and praise God:
Zechariah 8:19 predicts a time that certain days will be turned from days of fasting to days of feasting and celebration. What are those days and what should we be doing on them today? Join Darren as he explores these questions and more looking at how our actions today can affect the reality of tomorrow and potentially shorten the exile and begin the final redemption. From Exile To Redemption is a call to action for disciples of Yeshua to affect the world around them.
The book of Devarim (Deuteronomy) is often called Mishneh Torah, or the “second law,” due to it’s repetition of many of the things already expressed within the first four books of Torah. However, it does not merely recount the same events and dialogues, but adds detail and clarification to the previous events. When recalling the appointment of judges Moses gives a detail not found previously in the Torah:
When Yeshua called his first disciples, he asked them, "What do you seek?" When they reply, he tells them, "Come and see." Emet HaTorah director, Darren Huckey, explores this very Jewish response of Yeshua and how he is still asking his disciples the same question today. This teaching is intended to have us zoom back out at the bigger picture of what it means to be a disciple of Yeshua and why understanding him on his terms is critical for our spiritual development.
I can’t help but get excited when I begin studying the book of Leviticus. It’s an amazing book that deals with a wide range of topics, but has a primary focus on the levitical functions that take place within the Tabernacle. It wastes no time getting into its subject matter and immediately begins by discussing the details for the olah, or the whole burnt offering. From there it begins explaining the various aspects of each of the types of offerings that a person may bring to the LORD.
What comes to mind when you hear someone speak of an “eternal priesthood”? If you are a disciple of Yeshua, then Yeshua’s ministry automatically comes to mind. As the book of Hebrews says, he is a high priest forever, continually ministering before his Heavenly Father on our behalf:
Upon a cursory reading of the Torah some of the laws contained within it seem not only a bit harsh, but even barbaric at times. This week’s Torah portion contains laws that seem to fall into that category and tend to make the modern reader uncomfortable. One of the passages is related to personal damages caused by physical violence:
You shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. (Exodus 21:25)