|
Shevat 8, 5763
/ Jan 11, 2003 -
see
Y2-44
Shevat 15, 5763 / Jan 18,
2003 -
see
Y2-45
Shevat 7, 5766 / Feb 4,
2006
Shevat 7, 5769 / Jan
31,
2009
Shevat 4, 5772 / Jan
28,
2012
Shevat 4, 5775 / Jan
24,
2015
Shevat 4, 5778 / Jan
20,
2018
Shevat 3, 5781 / Jan
16,
2021
B'har Sinai / In Mt. Sinai
SCRIPTURES (should be read first)
The Sh’mittah – the
Sabbatical Year.
A history: The commandments
were all given to Moses at Mt. Sinai. But we see many of them detailed to the
people later, in a logical progression. Moses gave the instructions for the
building of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness, which the people joyfully
followed. Then Moses gave the instructions for offerings and purification, which
were needed upon completion of the meetingplace for appointments with God. After
those instructions, we now see the laws given for sh’mittah and other things
that applied after reaching the Promised Land.
Last week we considered how
that God gave annual appointments showing His occasional acts of greatness
toward us – such as redemption and resurrection; and also how He gave the
Menorah and Show bread indicating His continual caring for us. This week we are
looking forward to an eternal home.
(V.2) “When you come to
the land that I give you”. With the Tabernacle being a functional reality,
the people are now to look forward to the Promised Land”. “That I give you”
is in the present tense – not like a give-and-forget gift, but rather as God
continually keeping His promises to His people.
God provided for His
original creation, and will provide for His renewed creation.
“And out of
the ground Yahweh God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight
and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden” –
Genesis 2:9.
(V.2) “Then
the land shall have a Sabbath to Yahweh”. The Sabbatical year is related
to the weekly Sabbath: its basic purpose is not for the earth to replenish
itself, but to worship God, showing faith. Israel may have never trusted God
enough to forgo sowing and reaping – and that is a lesson to us in how we
should trust. Israel experienced expulsion from the Promised Land because of
this lack of faith.
Sabbatical years, like Sabbath days, are not times for idleness or worldly
pleasure, but times for worship and spiritual growth. (V.3) “Six years
you shall sow . . .”, as in “Six days shall you labor” (Exodus
20:9). The seventh year, like the seventh day, is dedicated to God.
In the Sabbath Millennium,
the seventh-thousand years when Yeshua reigns, “the day when all will be
Sabbath”, God will provide for all of our needs. Then, when the earth is
restored, He will provide for us from the Garden of Eden – also called Paradise.
By comparing Genesis and Revelation, we can see the details of this restored
Garden.
So we see three parts to
our faith: We are to trust Yahweh for our salvation from sin (that is
the meaning of the name Yeshua), we are to trust God to provide all things
for us to fulfill His work that we are here to do, and we are to trust Him
for a future eternal glorious home. We show our faith in three corresponding
ways: repentance and observing His appointed Holy Days, setting aside the
weekly Sabbath for worship and spiritual growth, and resting in a sure hope
of future glory that is not dependant upon our worldly efforts such as
sowing and reaping to build wealth.
The Yovel – the
Jubilee Year.
(V.8) “You shall count
for yourself”. After the Passover seder, we are commanded to count each day,
and each of seven weeks, until the fiftieth day – Pentecost. Likewise, the
Sanhedrin (the commandment is singular) is commanded to count each year, and
each of seven Sabbaticals, until the fiftieth year, and then proclaim the
Jubilee. This year does not begin on the Festival New Year (Nisan 1), but on
Yom Teruah / the Day of Trumpeting (Tishrei 1), which is also called Rosh
haShannah / Head of the Year (Ezekiel 40:1). The land may not be worked that
year – beginning with Rosh haShannah, but slaves are not fully free until the
tenth day – Yom haKippurim / the Day of the Atonements.
This would seem to relate to
our final redemption (Romans 8:23, Ephesians 1:14). At the Last Trump on Yom
Teruah, Yeshua will return and the righteous dead will be raised. But Yom
haKippurim, ten days later, represents the purification of the redeemed.
___________________
Today’s Psalm
(88) is one of those that are obviously messianic. We can hear Yeshua, from the
tomb, saying (v.6-7), “Thou hast put me in the lowest pit, in dark places, in
the depths. Thy wrath has rested upon me, and Thou hast afflicted me with all
Thy waves. Selah.” We can hear Him, from the cross, saying (v.14), “Why
dost Thou hide Thy face from me?”
But, in
another sense of this Psalm, Israel may be heard, crying, as a result of
punishment for faithlessness – faithlessness shown by planting and harvesting
and selling on the Sabbatical Years and Jubilee.
Jeremiah tells the result of
this faithlessness.
“
17 'Ah Lord Yahweh! Behold, You have
made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm!
Nothing is too difficult for You, 18 who shows lovingkindness to
thousands, but repays the iniquity of fathers into the bosom of their children
after them, O great and mighty God. Yahweh of hosts is His name; 19
great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the
sons of men, giving to everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit
of his deeds; 20 who has set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt,
and even to this day both in Israel and among mankind; and You have made a name
for Yourself, as at this day. 21 'You brought Your people Israel out
of the land of Egypt with signs and with wonders, and with a strong hand and
with an outstretched arm and with great terror; 22 and gave them this
land, which You swore to their forefathers to give them, a land flowing with
milk and honey. 23 'They came in and took possession of it, but they
did not obey Your voice or walk in Your law; they have done nothing of all that
You commanded them to do; therefore You have made all this calamity come upon
them. 24 'Behold, the siege ramps have reached the city to take it;
and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans who fight against it,
because of the sword, the famine and the pestilence; and what You have spoken
has come to pass; and behold, You see it”
– Jeremiah 32:17-24.
In John 10 we
learn that the redemption and provision and future world apply to “His sheep”.
If we are of His sheep, we will hear Yeshua’s voice. He gave His life for us
willingly, He came to give us abundant life, and He will not let anything take
us away from Him. This is the Word in which we can trust, and be of faith
concerning our destiny.
In Galatians,
Paul speaks of slavery and freedom; but, what slavery and what freedom?
If we come to
the Scriptures with a preconceived doctrine that “Law” is slavery and
“lawlessness” is freedom, then we can interpret this passage to bolster our
doctrine. Many translators, having this doctrine, have accordingly slanted some
of the most popular versions of the Bible. This makes such an interpretation
much easier, and harder to correct.
Firstly, I
would like everyone to be aware that nowhere in Galatians (or anywhere else) did
Paul use any word that could reasonably be translated “Judaizers”, though such a
term is often attributed to him in sermons condemning Torah observance.
Secondly, I
would like everyone to see that the word “lawlessness” is correctly and
frequently used, and always condemned. The Greek word is anomia, meaning
(a) no - (nomos) law - (ia) ness.
Yeshua said, “And
then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice
lawlessness’ ” (Matthew 7:23).
Paul said, “I
am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as
you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting
in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness,
resulting in sanctification” (Romans
6:19).
Paul
taught, “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have
righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?”
(2 Corinthians 6:14).
God said,
concerning Yeshua, “You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;
therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness above Your
companions” (Hebrews 1:9).
John taught, “Everyone
who practices sin also practices lawlessness; for sin is lawlessness” (1
John 3:4).
Thirdly, I
would like to remind everyone that Yeshua said He did not come to abolish the
Torah / Law (Matthew 5:17). But, Paul taught that Yeshua set us free from
the Law of sin and death (Romans 8:2). The Law of sin and death is “The
soul who sins will die” (Ezekiel 18:4).
So, Yeshua did
not set us free to practice things that are against Torah - lawlessness. He set
us free from the sting of death, our just punishment, so that we could be free
to serve Him lawfully, not continuing to serve sin.
Through Torah
obedience, we learn to serve God, and overcome sin.
Abraham had a
son, Isaac, by the fulfillment of God’s promise. We are sons of God by the
fulfillment of God’s promise. God sent forth His Son to redeem us. Through His
Spirit we long to worship Him, rather than the worship the base things of this
world. His Torah is our instruction (Torah means instruction), carried by
prophets and teachers, to bring us to maturity (Ephesians 4:13).
And, Abraham
had a son, Ishmael, “after the flesh”. This son was without faith, fully
enraptured with the natural world. Therefore, he came under the condemnation of
“the soul who sins will die”. The commandments, which are to show the way of a
fulfilled life to the faithful, became his judge of death.
(V.5:1)
Messiah set us free from the penalty of death for sin, if so be that we have the
Spirit of God (Romans 8:9). Therefore, we should not let anyone convince us to
seek salvation by our own works, which would lead to a death penalty for
failure. But, on the other hand, if we have the Spirit of God dwelling in us, we
will not follow “lawlessness”, but Torah instruction to grow in righteousness.
Leviticus 25
speaks of how we are to treat someone who has become impoverished. We are not to
deal with him in severity, but we are to revere God. We are to seek his welfare,
and his restoration to independence.
In Isaiah 24,
God speaks of the time when men have polluted the earth, by grossly breaking His
laws (v.5). There will be no difference between a commoner and a priest, between
a slave and a master, between a borrower and a lender (v.2): all will be
gathered like prisoners in a dungeon (for 1000 years), and later punished
(v.22). Yahweh of hosts (armies) will reign on Mt. Zion in Jerusalem (v.23). The
stated reason is . . . lawlessness!
[Isaiah says
“Yahweh of Hosts” will reign on earth; John so describes the Sabbath millennium
(Revelation 11:15-17 and 20:6).]
We sing, from
Psalm 89,
I will sing
of the lovingkindness of Yahweh forever; to all generations I will make known
Thy faithfulness with my mouth. For I have said, “Lovingkindness will be built
up forever; in the heavens Thou wilt establish Thy faithfulness – ‘I have made a
covenant with My chosen; I have sworn to David My servant, I will establish your
seed forever, and build up your throne to all generations.’ Selah.”
(V.30) “If
his sons forsake My law, and do not walk in My judgments, if they violate My
statutes, and do not keep My commandments, then I will visit their transgression
with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. But I will not break off My
lovingkindness from him, nor deal falsely in My faithfulness. My covenant I will
not violate, nor will I alter the utterance of My lips. Once I have sworn by My
holiness; I will not lie to David. His descendants shall endure forever, and his
throne as the sun before Me. It shall be established forever like the moon, and
the witness in the sky is faithful.” Selah (Meditate on that).
Incidentally,
Psalm 89:15 says, “How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! O
Yahweh, they walk in the light of Thy countenance.” The “joyful sound” is a
translation of the Hebrew teruah: how blessed are the people who walk in
His light, rehearsing on Yom Teruah / the Day of Trumpeting, knowing the
sound of the last trump! They shall recognize the announcement of Messiah
return!
Readings:
"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King
of the Universe,
Who chose us from among all peoples by
giving us Your Torah.
Blessed are You, Yahweh, giver of the
Torah."
Reader 1*
Amen. 1 Yahweh then
spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai, saying, 2 "Speak
to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When you come into
the land which I shall give you, then the land shall have a
Sabbath to Yahweh. 3 'Six years you shall sow
your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard and
gather in its crop, 4 but during the seventh year
the land shall have a Sabbath rest, a Sabbath to Yahweh; you
shall not sow your field nor prune your vineyard. 5
'Your harvest's aftergrowth you shall not reap, and your
grapes of untrimmed vines you shall not gather; the land
shall have a Sabbatical year. 6 'All of you shall
have the Sabbath products of the land for food; yourself,
and your male and female slaves, and your hired man and your
foreign resident, those who live as aliens with you. 7
'Even your cattle and the animals that are in your land
shall have all its crops to eat.
Reader 2*
Amen. 8 'You are also to count off seven Sabbaths of
years for yourself, seven times seven years, so that you have the time of the
seven Sabbaths of years, namely, forty-nine years. 9 'You shall then
sound a ram's horn abroad on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the day of
the atonements you shall sound a horn all through your land. 10 'You
shall thus consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim a release through the land
to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, and each of you shall
return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family. 11
'You shall have the fiftieth year as a jubilee; you shall not sow, nor reap its
aftergrowth, nor gather in from its untrimmed vines. 12 'For it is a
jubilee; it shall be holy to you. You shall eat its crops out of the field.
13 'On this year of jubilee each of you shall return to his own property.
14 'If you make a sale, moreover, to your friend or buy from your
friend's hand, you shall not wrong one another. 15 'Corresponding to
the number of years after the jubilee, you shall buy from your friend; he is to
sell to you according to the number of years of crops. 16 'In
proportion to the extent of the years you shall increase its price, and in
proportion to the fewness of the years you shall diminish its price, for it is a
number of crops he is selling to you. 17 'So you shall not wrong one
another, but you shall fear your God; for I am Yahweh your God.
Reader 3*
Amen. 18 'You shall thus observe My statutes and keep
My judgments, so as to carry them out, that you may live securely on the land.
19 'Then the land will yield its produce, so that you can eat your
fill and live securely on it. 20 'But if you say, "What are we going
to eat on the seventh year if we do not sow or gather in our crops?" 21
then I will so order My blessing for you in the sixth year that it will bring
forth the crop for three years. 22 'When you are sowing the eighth
year, you can still eat old things from the crop, eating the old until the ninth
year when its crop comes in. 'The land, moreover, shall not be sold permanently,
for the land is Mine; for you are but aliens and sojourners with Me. 24
'Thus for every piece of your property, you are to provide for the redemption of
the land.
Reader 4*
Amen. 23 25 'If a fellow countryman of
yours becomes so poor he has to sell part of his property, then his nearest
kinsman is to come and buy back what his relative has sold. 26 'Or in
case a man has no kinsman, but so recovers his means as to find sufficient for
its redemption, 27 then he shall calculate the years since its sale
and refund the balance to the man to whom he sold it, and so return to his
property. 28 'But if he has not found sufficient means to get it back
for himself, then what he has sold shall remain in the hands of its purchaser
until the year of jubilee; but at the jubilee it shall revert, that he may
return to his property. 29 'Likewise, if a man sells a dwelling house
in a walled city, then his redemption right remains valid until a full year from
its sale; his right of redemption lasts a full year. 30 'But if it is
not bought back for him within the space of a full year, then the house that is
in the walled city passes permanently to its purchaser throughout his
generations; it does not revert in the jubilee. 31 'The houses of the
villages, however, which have no surrounding wall shall be considered as open
fields; they have redemption rights and revert in the jubilee.
Reader 5*
Amen. 32 'As for cities of the Levites, the Levites
have a permanent right of redemption for the houses of the cities which are
their possession. 33 'What, therefore, belongs to the Levites may be
redeemed and a house sale in the city of this possession reverts in the jubilee,
for the houses of the cities of the Levites are their possession among the sons
of Israel. 34 'But pasture fields of their cities shall not be sold,
for that is their perpetual possession. 35 'Now in case a countryman
of yours becomes poor and his means with regard to you falter, then you are to
sustain him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you. 36
'Do not take usurious interest from him, but revere your God, that your
countryman may live with you. 37 'You shall not give him your silver
at interest, nor your food for gain. 38 'I am Yahweh your God, who
brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be
your God.
Reader 6*
Amen. 39 'If a countryman of yours becomes so poor
with regard to you that he sells himself to you, you shall not subject him to a
slave's service. 40 'He shall be with you as a hired man, as if he
were a sojourner; he shall serve with you until the year of jubilee. 41
'He shall then go out from you, he and his sons with him, and shall go back to
his family, that he may return to the property of his forefathers. 42
'For they are My servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt; they are
not to be sold in a slave sale. 43 'You shall not rule over him with
severity, but are to revere your God. 44 'As for your male and female
slaves whom you may have-- you may acquire male and female slaves from the pagan
nations that are around you. 45 'Then, too, it is out of the sons of
the sojourners who live as aliens among you that you may gain acquisition, and
out of their families who are with you, whom they will have produced in your
land; they also may become your possession. 46 'You may even bequeath
them to your sons after you, to receive as a possession; you can use them as
permanent slaves. But in respect to your countrymen, the sons of Israel, you
shall not rule with severity over one another.
Reader 7*
Amen. 23 47 'Now if the means of a stranger
or of a sojourner with you becomes sufficient, and a countryman of yours becomes
so poor with regard to him as to sell himself to a stranger who is sojourning
with you, or to the descendants of a stranger's family, 48 then he
shall have redemption right after he has been sold. One of his brothers may
redeem him, 49 or his uncle, or his uncle's son, may redeem him, or
one of his blood relatives from his family may redeem him; or if he prospers, he
may redeem himself. 50 'He then with his purchaser shall calculate
from the year when he sold himself to him up to the year of jubilee; and the
price of his sale shall correspond to the number of years. It is like the days
of a hired man that he shall be with him. 51 'If there are still many
years, he shall refund part of his purchase price in proportion to them for his
own redemption; 52 and if few years remain until the year of jubilee,
he shall so calculate with him. In proportion to his years he is to refund the
amount for his redemption. 53 'Like a man hired year by year he shall
be with him; he shall not rule over him with severity in your sight. 54
'Even if he is not redeemed by these means, he shall still go out in the year of
jubilee, he and his sons with him. 55 'For the sons of Israel are My
servants; they are My servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt. I am
Yahweh your God.
26:1
'You shall not make for yourselves idols, nor shall you set up for yourselves an
image or a sacred pillar, nor shall you place a figured stone in your land to
bow down to it; for I am Yahweh your God. 2 'You shall keep My
Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary; I am Yahweh.
"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King
of the Universe,
Who in giving us Yeshua, the Living
Torah, has planted everlasting life in our midst.
Blessed are You, Yahweh, giver of the
Torah."
______________________
"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King
of the Universe,
Who selected good prophets, delighting
in their words which were spoken truthfully.
Blessed are You, Yahweh, Who chose the
Torah, Your servant Moses, Your people Israel,
and the prophets of truth and
righteousness."
Jeremiah 32:6-27
Reader 8* Amen. 6
And Jeremiah said, "The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 7 'Behold,
Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle is coming to you, saying, "Buy for
yourself my field which is at Anathoth, for you have the right of redemption to
buy it."' 8 "Then Hanamel my uncle's son came to me in the court of
the guard according to the word of Yahweh and said to me, 'Buy my field, please,
that is at Anathoth, which is in the land of Benjamin; for you have the right of
possession and the redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.' Then I knew that
this was the word of Yahweh. 9 "I bought the field which was at
Anathoth from Hanamel my uncle's son, and I weighed out the silver for him,
seventeen shekels of silver. 10 "I signed and sealed the deed, and
called in witnesses, and weighed out the silver on the scales.
Reader 9* Amen. 11
"Then I took the deeds of purchase, both the sealed copy containing the terms
and conditions and the open copy; 12 and I gave the deed of purchase
to Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the sight of Hanamel my
uncle's son and in the sight of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase,
before all the Jews who were sitting in the court of the guard. 13
"And I commanded Baruch in their presence, saying, 14 'Thus says
Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, "Take these deeds, this sealed deed of
purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware jar, that they may
last a long time." 15 'For thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of
Israel, "Houses and fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land."'
Reader 10* Amen. 16
"After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, then I
prayed to Yahweh, saying, 17 'Ah Lord Yahweh! Behold, You have made
the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm!
Nothing is too difficult for You, 18 who shows lovingkindness to
thousands, but repays the iniquity of fathers into the bosom of their children
after them, O great and mighty God. Yahweh of hosts is His name; 19
great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the
sons of men, giving to everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit
of his deeds; 20 who has set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt,
and even to this day both in Israel and among mankind; and You have made a name
for Yourself, as at this day. 21 'You brought Your people Israel out
of the land of Egypt with signs and with wonders, and with a strong hand and
with an outstretched arm and with great terror; 22 and gave them this
land, which You swore to their forefathers to give them, a land flowing with
milk and honey. 23 'They came in and took possession of it, but they
did not obey Your voice or walk in Your law; they have done nothing of all that
You commanded them to do; therefore You have made all this calamity come upon
them. 24 'Behold, the siege ramps have reached the city to take it;
and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans who fight against it,
because of the sword, the famine and the pestilence; and what You have spoken
has come to pass; and behold, You see it. 25 'You have said to me, O
Lord Yahweh, "Buy for yourself the field with money and call in witnesses "--
although the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.'" 26 Then
the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying, 27 "Behold, I am Yahweh,
the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?"
Ezekiel 34
Reader 11* Amen. 1
Then the word of Yahweh came to me saying, 2 "Son of man, prophesy
against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, 'Thus says
Lord Yahweh, "Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should
not the shepherds feed the flock? 3 "You eat the fat and clothe
yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock.
4 "Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you
have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not
brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity
you have dominated them. 5 "They were scattered for lack of a
shepherd, and they became food for every beast of the field and were scattered.
6 "My flock wandered through all the mountains and on every high
hill; My flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth, and there was no
one to search or seek for them."'"
Reader 12* Amen. (say)
Verse 11. 11 For thus says Lord Yahweh, "Behold, I Myself will search
for My sheep and seek them out. 12 "As a shepherd cares for his herd
in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and
will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy
and gloomy day. 13 "I will bring them out from the peoples and gather
them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will feed them
on the mountains of Israel, by the streams, and in all the inhabited places of
the land. 14 "I will feed them in a good pasture, and their grazing
ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down on
good grazing ground and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15
"I will feed My flock and I will lead them to rest," declares Lord Yahweh.
16 "I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken and
strengthen the sick; but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them
with judgment.
Psalm 88 (To be sung.)
A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
For the choir
director; according to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.
1 O Yahweh, the God of my
salvation, I have cried out by day and in the night before You. 2 Let
my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my cry! 3 For my soul
has had enough troubles, and my life has drawn near to Sheol. 4 I am
reckoned among those who go down to the pit; I have become like a man without
strength, 5 forsaken among the dead, like the slain who lie in the
grave, whom You remember no more, and they are cut off from Your hand. 6
You have put me in the lowest pit, in dark places, in the depths. 7
Your wrath has rested upon me, and You have afflicted me with all Your waves.
Selah. 8 You have removed my acquaintances far from me; You have made
me an object of loathing to them; I am shut up and cannot go out. 9
My eye has wasted away because of affliction; I have called upon You every day,
O Yahweh; I have spread out my hands to You. 10 Will You perform
wonders for the dead? Will the departed spirits rise and praise You? Selah.
11 Will Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave, Your faithfulness in
Abaddon? 12 Will Your wonders be made known in the darkness? And Your
righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? 13 But I, O Yahweh, have
cried out to You for help, and in the morning my prayer comes before You.
14 O Yahweh, why do You reject my soul? Why do You hide Your face from me?
15 I was afflicted and about to die from my youth on; I suffer Your
terrors; I am overcome. 16 Your burning anger has passed over me;
Your terrors have destroyed me. 17 They have surrounded me like water
all day long; they have encompassed me altogether. 18 You have
removed lover and friend far from me; my acquaintances are in darkness.
Psalm 89 A Maskil of Ethan
the Ezrahite.
1 I will sing of the
lovingkindness of Yahweh forever; to all generations I will make known Your
faithfulness with my mouth. 2 For I have said, "Lovingkindness will
be built up forever; in the heavens You will establish Your faithfulness."
3 "I have made a covenant with My chosen; I have sworn to David My
servant, 4 I will establish your seed forever and build up your
throne to all generations." Selah. 5 The heavens will praise Your
wonders, O Yahweh; Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 For who in the skies is comparable to Yahweh? Who among the sons of the
mighty is like Yahweh, 7 A God greatly feared in the council of the
holy ones, and awesome above all those who are around Him? 8 O Yahweh
God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty Yahweh? Your faithfulness also surrounds
You. 9 You rule the swelling of the sea; when its waves rise, You
still them. 10 You Yourself crushed Rahab like one who is slain; You
scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm. 11 The heavens are
Yours, the earth also is Yours; the world and all it contains, You have founded
them. 12 The north and the south, You have created them; Tabor and
Hermon shout for joy at Your name. 13 You have a strong arm; Your
hand is mighty, Your right hand is exalted. 14 Righteousness and
justice are the foundation of Your throne; lovingkindness and truth go before
You. 15 How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! O
Yahweh, they walk in the light of Your countenance. 16 In Your name
they rejoice all the day, and by Your righteousness they are exalted. 17
For You are the glory of their strength, and by Your favor our horn is exalted.
18 For our shield belongs to Yahweh, and our king to the Holy One of
Israel. 19 Once You spoke in vision to Your godly ones, and said, "I
have given help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people.
20 "I have found David My servant; with My holy oil I have anointed
him, 21 with whom My hand will be established; My arm also will
strengthen him. 22 "The enemy will not deceive him, nor the son of
wickedness afflict him. 23 "But I shall crush his adversaries before
him, and strike those who hate him. 24 "My faithfulness and My
lovingkindness will be with him, And in My name his horn will be exalted.
25 "I shall also set his hand on the sea and his right hand on the rivers.
26 "He will cry to Me, 'You are my Father, My God, and the rock of my
salvation.' 27 "I also shall make him My firstborn, the highest of
the kings of the earth. 28 "My lovingkindness I will keep for him
forever, and My covenant shall be confirmed to him. 29 "So I will
establish his descendants forever and his throne as the days of heaven. 30
"If his sons forsake My law and do not walk in My judgments, 31 If
they violate My statutes and do not keep My commandments, 32 Then I
will punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes.
33 "But I will not break off My lovingkindness from him, nor deal
falsely in My faithfulness. 34 "My covenant I will not violate, nor
will I alter the utterance of My lips. 35 "Once I have sworn by My
holiness; I will not lie to David. 36 "His descendants shall endure
forever and his throne as the sun before Me. 37 "It shall be
established forever like the moon, And the witness in the sky is faithful."
Selah. 38 But You have cast off and rejected, You have been full of
wrath against Your anointed. 39 You have spurned the covenant of Your
servant; You have profaned his crown in the dust. 40 You have broken
down all his walls; You have brought his strongholds to ruin. 41 All
who pass along the way plunder him; He has become a reproach to his neighbors.
42 You have exalted the right hand of his adversaries; You have made
all his enemies rejoice. 43 You also turn back the edge of his sword
and have not made him stand in battle. 44 You have made his splendor
to cease and cast his throne to the ground. 45 You have shortened the
days of his youth; You have covered him with shame. Selah. 46 How
long, O Yahweh? Will You hide Yourself forever? Will Your wrath burn like fire?
47 Remember what my span of life is; for what vanity You have created
all the sons of men! 48 What man can live and not see death? Can he
deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah. 49 Where are Your
former lovingkindnesses, O Lord, which You swore to David in Your faithfulness?
50 Remember, O Lord, the reproach of Your servants; how I bear in my
bosom the reproach of all the many peoples, 51 with which Your
enemies have reproached, O Yahwewh, with which they have reproached the
footsteps of Your anointed. 52 Blessed be Yahweh forever! Amen and
Amen.
John 10:1-33
Reader 12* Amen. 1
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of
the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. 2
"But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. 3 "To him
the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep
by name and leads them out. 4 "When he puts forth all his own, he
goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5
"A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do
not know the voice of strangers." 6 This parable Yeshua spoke to
them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been
saying to them.
Reader 13* Amen. 7
So Yeshua said to them again, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the
sheep. 8 "All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the
sheep did not hear them. 9 "I am the door; if anyone enters through
Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have
life, and have it abundantly. 11 "I am the good shepherd; the good
shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 12 "He who is a hired
hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf
coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters
them. 13 "He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned
about the sheep. 14 "I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My
own know Me, 15 even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father;
and I lay down My life for the sheep.
Reader 14* Amen. 16 "I have other sheep, which
are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and
they will become one flock with one shepherd. 17 "For this reason the
Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. 18
"No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I
have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This
commandment I received from My Father." 19 A division occurred again
among the Jews because of these words. 20 Many of them were saying,
"He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?" 21 Others
were saying, "These are not the sayings of one demon-possessed. A demon cannot
open the eyes of the blind, can he?"
Reader 15* Amen. 22
At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; 23
it was winter, and Yeshua was walking in the Temple in the portico of Solomon.
24 The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, "How
long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Messiah, tell us plainly."
25 Yeshua answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe; the
works that I do in My Father's name, these testify of Me. 26 "But you
do not believe because you are not of My sheep. 27 "My sheep hear My
voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal
life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My
hand. 29 "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all;
and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 "I and
the Father are one." 31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him.
32 Yeshua answered them, "I showed you many good works from the
Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?" 33 The Jews answered
Him, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You,
being a man, make Yourself out to be God."
"Blessed are You, Yahweh
our God, King of the Universe,
Rock of Ages, righteous
throughout all generations.
You are the faithful God,
promising and then performing, speaking and then fulfilling,
for all Your words are true
and righteous.
Faithful are You, Yahweh
our God, and faithful are Your words,
for no word of Yours shall
remain unfulfilled;
You are a faithful and
merciful God and King.
Blessed are You, Yahweh our
God, Who are faithful in fulfilling all Your words."
Simplified
Readings:
Lev 25
Reader 1*
Amen. 1 While
Moses was on Mount Sinai, Yahweh said to him, 2 "Give these
instructions to the Israelites: When you have entered the land I am giving you
as an inheritance, the land itself must observe a Sabbath to Yahweh every
seventh year. 3 For six years you may plant your fields and prune
your vineyards and harvest your crops, 4 but during the seventh year
the land will enjoy a Sabbath year of rest to Yahweh. Do not plant your crops or
prune your vineyards during that entire year. 5 And don't store away
the crops that grow naturally or process the grapes that grow on your unpruned
vines. The land is to have a year of total rest. 6 But you, your male
and female slaves, your hired servants, and any foreigners who live with you may
eat the produce that grows naturally during the Sabbath year. 7 And
your livestock and the wild animals will also be allowed to eat of the land's
bounty.
Reader 2*
Amen. 8 "In
addition, you must count off seven Sabbath years, seven years times seven,
adding up to forty-nine years in all. 9 Then on the Day of the
Atonements of the fiftieth year, blow the trumpets loud and long throughout the
land. 10 This year will be set apart as holy, a time to proclaim
release for all who live there. It will be a jubilee year for you, when each of
you returns to the lands that belonged to your ancestors and rejoins your clan.
11 Yes, the fiftieth year will be a jubilee for you. During that
year, do not plant any seeds or store away any of the crops that grow naturally,
and do not process the grapes that grow on your unpruned vines. 12 It
will be a jubilee year for you, and you must observe it as a special and holy
time. You may, however, eat the produce that grows naturally in the fields that
year.
Reader 3*
Amen. 13 In the
Year of Jubilee each of you must return to the lands that belonged to your
ancestors. 14 "When you make an agreement with a neighbor to buy or
sell property, you must never take advantage of each other. 15 When
you buy land from your neighbor, the price of the land should be based on the
number of years since the last jubilee. The seller will charge you only for the
crop years left until the next Year of Jubilee. 16 The more the
years, the higher the price; the fewer the years, the lower the price. After
all, the person selling the land is actually selling you a certain number of
harvests. 17 Show your fear of God by not taking advantage of each
other. I, Yahweh, am your God.
Reader 4*
Amen. 18 "If
you want to live securely in the land, keep my laws and obey my regulations.
19 Then the land will yield bumper crops, and you will eat your fill
and live securely in it. 20 But you might ask, 'What will we eat
during the seventh year, since we are not allowed to plant or harvest crops that
year?' 21 The answer is, 'I will order my blessing for you in the
sixth year, so the land will produce a bumper crop, enough to support you for
three years. 22 As you plant the seed in the eighth year, you will
still be eating the produce of the previous year. In fact, you will eat from the
old crop until the new harvest comes in the ninth year.'
Reader 5*
Amen. 23 And
remember, the land must never be sold on a permanent basis because it really
belongs to me. You are only foreigners and tenants living with me. 24
"With every sale of land there must be a stipulation that the land can be
redeemed at any time. 25 If any of your Israelite relatives go
bankrupt and are forced to sell some inherited land, then a close relative, a
kinsman redeemer, may buy it back for them.
Reader 6*
Amen. 26 If
there is no one to redeem the land but the person who sold it manages to get
enough money to buy it back, 27 then that person has the right to
redeem it from the one who bought it. The price of the land will be based on the
number of years until the next Year of Jubilee. After buying it back, the
original owner may then return to the land. 28 But if the original
owner cannot afford to redeem it, then it will belong to the new owner until the
next Year of Jubilee. In the jubilee year, the land will be returned to the
original owner.
Reader 7*
Amen. 55 For
the people of Israel are my servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt.
I, Yahweh, am your God.26:1 "Do not make idols or set up carved
images, sacred pillars, or shaped stones to be worshiped in your land. I,
Yahweh, am your God. 2 You must keep my Sabbath days of rest and show
reverence for my sanctuary. I am Yahweh.
(Psalms 88 & 89
from Psalter)
Jer 32
Reader 8*
Amen. 6 At that
time Yahweh sent me a message. He said, 7 "Your cousin Hanamel son of
Shallum will come and say to you, 'Buy my field at Anathoth. By law you have the
right to buy it before it is offered to anyone else.'" 8 Then, just
as Yahweh had said he would, Hanamel came and visited me in the prison. He said,
"Buy my field at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. By law you have the right to
buy it before it is offered to anyone else, so buy it for yourself." Then I knew
for sure that the message I had heard was from Yahweh. 9 So I bought
the field at Anathoth, paying Hanamel seventeen pieces of silver for it. 10
I signed and sealed the deed of purchase before witnesses, weighed out the
silver, and paid him.
Reader 9*
Amen. 11 Then I
took the sealed deed and an unsealed copy of the deed, which contained the terms
and conditions of the purchase, 12 and I handed them to Baruch son of
Neriah and grandson of Mahseiah. I did all this in the presence of my cousin
Hanamel, the witnesses who had signed the deed, and all the men of Judah who
were there. 13 Then I said to Baruch as they all listened, 14
"Yahweh Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Take both this sealed deed and the
unsealed copy, and put them into a pottery jar to preserve them for a long time.
15 For Yahweh Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Someday people will
again own property here in this land and will buy and sell houses and vineyards
and fields."
Ezek 34
Reader 10*
Amen. 1 Then
this message came to me from Yahweh: 2 "Son of man, prophesy against
the shepherds, the leaders of Israel. Give them this message from the Sovereign
Yahweh: Destruction is certain for you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of
your flocks. Shouldn't shepherds feed their sheep? 3 You drink the
milk, wear the wool, and butcher the best animals, but you let your flocks
starve. 4 You have not taken care of the weak. You have not tended
the sick or bound up the broken bones. You have not gone looking for those who
have wandered away and are lost. Instead, you have ruled them with force and
cruelty. 5 So my sheep have been scattered without a shepherd. They
are easy prey for any wild animal. 6 They have wandered through the
mountains and hills, across the face of the earth, yet no one has gone to search
for them.
Reader 11*
Amen. (Say) Verse
11. 11 "For this is what the Sovereign Yahweh says: I myself will
search and find my sheep. 12 I will be like a shepherd looking for
his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places to
which they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day. 13 I will
bring them back home to their own land of Israel from among the peoples and
nations. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel and by the rivers in all
the places where people live. 14 Yes, I will give them good
pastureland on the high hills of Israel. There they will lie down in pleasant
places and feed in lush mountain pastures. 15 I myself will tend my
sheep and cause them to lie down in peace, says the Sovereign Yahweh. 16
I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely
home again. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak. But I will
destroy those who are fat and powerful. I will feed them, yes-- feed them
justice! |