Y2 18-21

Sabbath Eighteen (July 13, 2002)

Shemot (Names): R’eh qaratiy (See, I have called), commonly called Exodus 31:1 – 32:14 (*Divided for seven Torah readers)

1 Amen* 1 Now Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 3 "And I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, 4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, 5 and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship.

2 Amen* 6 "And behold, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all who are skillful I have put skill, that they may make all that I have commanded you: 7 the tent of meeting, and the ark of testimony, and the mercy seat upon it, and all the furniture of the tent, 8 the table also and its utensils, and the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense, 9 the altar of burnt offering also with all its utensils, and the laver and its stand, 10 the woven garments as well, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, with which to carry on their priesthood; 11 the anointing oil also, and the fragrant incense for the holy place, they are to make them according to all that I have commanded you."

3 Amen* 12 And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 13 "But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'You shall surely observe My Sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am Yahweh who sanctifies you. 14 'Therefore you are to observe the Sabbath, for it is holy to you.

4 Amen* Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. 15 'For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to Yahweh; whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall surely be put to death. 16 'So the sons of Israel shall observe the Sabbath, to celebrate the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant.' 17 "It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased from labor, and was refreshed."

5 Amen* 18 And when He had finished speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God.

32:1 Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron, and said to him, "Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him." 2 And Aaron said to them, "Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me." 3 Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, and made it into a molten calf; and they said, "This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt."

6 Amen* 5 Now when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, "Tomorrow shall be a feast to Yahweh." 6 So the next day they rose early and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. 7 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, "Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. 8 "They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it, and have sacrificed to it, and said, 'This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!'" 9 And Yahweh said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people. 10 "Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them, and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation."

7 Amen* 11 Then Moses entreated Yahweh his God, and said, "O Yahweh, why doth Thine anger burn against Thy people whom Thou hast brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 "Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, 'With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth '? Turn from Thy burning anger and change Thy mind about doing harm to Thy people. 13 "Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Thy servants to whom Thou didst swear by Thyself, and didst say to them, 'I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'" 14 So Yahweh changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people.

Isaiah 43:7-21

1 But now, thus says Yahweh, your Creator, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! 2 "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. 3 "For I am Yahweh your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I have given Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place. 4 "Since you are precious in My sight, since you are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life. 5 "Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and gather you from the west. 6 "I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' And to the south, 'Do not hold them back.' Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth, 7 everyone who is called by My name, and whom I have created for My glory, whom I have formed, even whom I have made." 8 Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes, and the deaf, even though they have ears. 9 All the nations have gathered together in order that the peoples may be assembled. Who among them can declare this and proclaim to us the former things? Let them present their witnesses that they may be justified, or let them hear and say, "It is true." 10 "You are My witnesses," declares Yahweh, "and My servant whom I have chosen, in order that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me. 11 "I, even I, am Yahweh; and there is no savior besides Me. 12 "It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed, and there was no strange god among you; so you are My witnesses," declares Yahweh, "and I am God. 13 "Even from eternity I am He; and there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?" 14 Thus says Yahweh your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, "For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and will bring them all down as fugitives, even the Chaldeans, into the ships in which they rejoice. 15 "I am Yahweh, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King." 16 Thus says Yahweh, Who makes a way through the sea and a path through the mighty waters, 17 Who brings forth the chariot and the horse, the army and the mighty man (they will lie down together and not rise again; they have been quenched and extinguished like a wick): 18 "Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. 19 "Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert. 20 "The beasts of the field will glorify Me; the jackals and the ostriches; because I have given waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My chosen people. 21 "The people whom I formed for Myself, will declare My praise. 22 "Yet you have not called on Me, O Jacob; but you have become weary of Me, O Israel. 23 "You have not brought to Me the sheep of your burnt offerings; nor have you honored Me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with offerings, nor wearied you with incense. 24 "You have bought Me no sweet cane with money, neither have you filled Me with the fat of your sacrifices; rather you have burdened Me with your sins, you have wearied Me with your iniquities. 25 "I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins. 26 "Put Me in remembrance; let us argue our case together, state your cause, that you may be proved right. 27 "Your first forefather sinned, and your spokesmen have transgressed against Me. 28 "So I will pollute the princes of the sanctuary; and I will consign Jacob to the ban, and Israel to revilement.

Psalm 63 A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

1 O God, Thou art my God; I shall seek Thee earnestly; my soul thirsts for Thee, my flesh yearns for Thee, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 Thus I have beheld Thee in the sanctuary, to see Thy power and Thy glory. 3 Because Thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips will praise Thee. 4 So I will bless Thee as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Thy name. 5 My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth offers praises with joyful lips. 6 When I remember Thee on my bed, I meditate on Thee in the night watches, 7 for Thou hast been my help, and in the shadow of Thy wings I sing for joy. 8 My soul clings to Thee; Thy right hand upholds me. 9 But those who seek my life, to destroy it, will go into the depths of the earth. 10 They will be delivered over to the power of the sword; they will be a prey for foxes. 11 But the king will rejoice in God; everyone who swears by Him will glory, for the mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped.

2 Timothy 1

1 Paul, an apostle of Messiah Yeshua by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Messiah Yeshua, 2 to Timothy, my beloved son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Messiah Yeshua our Lord. 3 I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day, 4 longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois, and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. 6 And for this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. 8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me His prisoner; but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Messiah Yeshua from all eternity, 10 but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Messiah Yeshua, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. 12 For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. 13 Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Messiah Yeshua. 14 Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you. 15 You are aware of the fact that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16 The Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chains; 17 but when he was in Rome, he eagerly searched for me, and found me-- 18 the Lord grant to him to find mercy from the Lord on that day-- and you know very well what services he rendered at Ephesus.

Commentary:

The Tabernacle was the universe in microcosm, and its components symbolized the major elements of creation (as shown by Ramban and others).

Bezalel means “In the shadow” – protection. Uri means “Fiery”. They were from the tribe of Praise.

Oholiab means “Father’s tent”. Ahisamach means “To fill in” – workmanship. They were from the tribe of the Judge.

Contrast:

(V.31:3) Yahweh “filled (Bezalel) with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, to make artistic designs for work in gold” for the Tabernacle.

(V.32:4) Aaron “took (the peoples gold) from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, and made it into a molten calf.”

(V.2 & 6) God took leaders for the craftsmen from the tribes of Judah and Dan – the tribes that would remain after the exile of ten tribes of Israel.

(V.10) The “vestments of uniqueness” were worn by only one man in each generation.

(V.12-17) The Sabbath commandment is repeated here to show that the construction of the Tabernacle, despite its importance, does not override the Sabbath. (A partial comparison is that we do not even carry money in on the Sabbath for building God’s house).

(V.18) The two tablets represent the required two witnesses.

* * incomplete * *

Sabbath Nineteen (July 20, 2002)

Shemot (Names): Vayyiphen (Then he turned), commonly called Exodus 32:15 – 34:26 (*Divided for seven Torah readers)

1 Amen* 15 Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets which were written on both sides; they were written on one side and the other. 16 And the tablets were God's work, and the writing was God's writing engraved on the tablets. 17 Now when Joshua heard the sound of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, "There is a sound of war in the camp." 18 But he said, "It is not the sound of the cry of triumph, nor is it the sound of the cry of defeat; but the sound of singing I hear." 19 And it came about, as soon as Moses came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing; and Moses' anger burned, and he threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain. 20 And he took the calf which they had made and burned it with fire, and ground it to powder, and scattered it over the surface of the water, and made the sons of Israel drink it. 21 Then Moses said to Aaron, "What did this people do to you, that you have brought such great sin upon them?" 22 And Aaron said, "Do not let the anger of my lord burn; you know the people yourself, that they are prone to evil. 23 "For they said to me, 'Make a god for us who will go before us; for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.' 24 "And I said to them, 'Whoever has any gold, let them tear it off.' So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf."

2 Amen* 25 Now when Moses saw that the people were out of control-- for Aaron had let them get out of control to be a derision among their enemies-- 26 then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, "Whoever is for Yahweh, come to me!" And all the sons of Levi gathered together to him. 27 And he said to them, "Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, 'Every man of you put his sword upon his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate in the camp, and kill every man his brother, and every man his friend, and every man his neighbor.'" 28 So the sons of Levi did as Moses instructed, and about three thousand men of the people fell that day. 29 Then Moses said, "Dedicate yourselves today to Yahweh-- for every man has been against his son and against his brother-- in order that He may bestow a blessing upon you today." 30 And it came about on the next day that Moses said to the people, "You yourselves have committed a great sin; and now I am going up to Yahweh, perhaps I can make atonement for your sin." 31 Then Moses returned to Yahweh, and said, "Alas, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for themselves. 32 "But now, if Thou wilt, forgive their sin-- and if not, please blot me out from Thy book which Thou hast written!" 33 And Yahweh said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book. 34 "But go now, lead the people where I told you. Behold, My angel shall go before you; nevertheless in the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin." 35 Then Yahweh smote the people, because of what they did with the calf which Aaron had made.

3 Amen* 33:1 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, "Depart, go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up from the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, 'To your descendants I will give it.' 2 "And I will send an angel before you and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite. 3 "Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, because you are an obstinate people, lest I destroy you on the way." 4 When the people heard this sad word, they went into mourning, and none of them put on his ornaments. 5 For Yahweh had said to Moses, "Say to the sons of Israel, 'You are an obstinate people; should I go up in your midst for one moment, I would destroy you. Now therefore, put off your ornaments from you, that I may know what I will do with you.'" 6 So the sons of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments from Mount Horeb onward.

7 Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And it came about, that everyone who sought Yahweh would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp. 8 And it came about, whenever Moses went out to the tent, that all the people would arise and stand, each at the entrance of his tent, and gaze after Moses until he entered the tent. 9 And it came about, whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent; and Yahweh would speak with Moses. 10 When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent. 11 Thus Yahweh used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

4 Amen* 12 Then Moses said to Yahweh, "See, Thou dost say to me, 'Bring up this people!' But Thou Thyself hast not let me know whom Thou wilt send with me. Moreover, Thou hast said, 'I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.' 13 "Now therefore, I pray Thee, if I have found favor in Thy sight, let me know Thy ways, that I may know Thee, so that I may find favor in Thy sight. Consider too, that this nation is Thy people." 14 And He said, "My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest." 15 Then he said to Him, "If Thy presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. 16 "For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Thy sight, I and Thy people? Is it not by Thy going with us, so that we, I and Thy people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the earth?" 17 And Yahweh said to Moses, "I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight, and I have known you by name." 18 Then Moses said, "I pray Thee, show me Thy glory!" 19 And He said, "I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of Yahweh before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion." 20 But He said, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!" 21 Then Yahweh said, "Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; 22 and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. 23 "Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen."

5 Amen* 34:1 Now Yahweh said to Moses, "Cut out for yourself two stone tablets like the former ones, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets which you shattered. 2 "So be ready by morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to Me on the top of the mountain. 3 "And no man is to come up with you, nor let any man be seen anywhere on the mountain; even the flocks and the herds may not graze in front of that mountain." 4 So he cut out two stone tablets like the former ones, and Moses rose up early in the morning and went up to Mount Sinai, as Yahweh had commanded him, and he took two stone tablets in his hand. 5 And Yahweh descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of Yahweh. 6 Then Yahweh passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "Yahweh, Yahweh God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; 7 who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations." 8 And Moses made haste to bow low toward the earth and worship.

6 Amen* 9 And he said, "If now I have found favor in Thy sight, O Lord, I pray, let Yahweh go along in our midst, even though the people are so obstinate; and do Thou pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Thine own possession." 10 Then God said, "Behold, I am going to make a covenant. Before all your people I will perform miracles which have not been produced in all the earth, nor among any of the nations; and all the people among whom you live will see the working of Yahweh, for it is a fearful thing that I am going to perform with you. 11 "Be sure to observe what I am commanding you this day: behold, I am going to drive out the Amorite before you, and the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite. 12 "Watch yourself that you make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, lest it become a snare in your midst. 13 "But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their Asherim 14 -- for you shall not worship any other god, for Yahweh, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God-- 15 lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and they play the harlot with their gods, and sacrifice to their gods, and someone invite you to eat of his sacrifice; 16 and you take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters play the harlot with their gods, and cause your sons also to play the harlot with their gods. 17 "You shall make for yourself no molten gods.

7 Amen* 18 "You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in the month of Abib you came out of Egypt. 19 "The first offspring from every womb belongs to Me, and all your male livestock, the first offspring from cattle and sheep. 20 "And you shall redeem with a lamb the first offspring from a donkey; and if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. You shall redeem all the first-born of your sons. And none shall appear before Me empty-handed. 21 "You shall work six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during plowing time and harvest you shall rest. 22 "And you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks, that is, the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year. 23 "Three times a year all your males are to appear before Yahweh God, the God of Israel. 24 "For I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your borders, and no man shall covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before Yahweh your God. 25 "You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread, nor is the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover to be left over until morning. 26 "You shall bring the very first of the first fruits of your soil into the house of Yahweh your God. You shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk."

2 Samuel 22:10-51

10 "He bowed the heavens also, and came down with thick darkness under His feet. 11 "And He rode on a cherub and flew; and He appeared on the wings of the wind. 12 "And He made darkness canopies around Him, a mass of waters, thick clouds of the sky. 13 "From the brightness before Him coals of fire were kindled. 14 "Yahweh thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered His voice. 15 "And He sent out arrows, and scattered them, lightning, and routed them. 16 "Then the channels of the sea appeared, the foundations of the world were laid bare, by the rebuke of Yahweh, at the blast of the breath of His nostrils. 17 "He sent from on high, He took me; He drew me out of many waters. 18 "He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me. 19 "They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but Yahweh was my support. 20 "He also brought me forth into a broad place; He rescued me, because He delighted in me. 21 "Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me. 22 "For I have kept the ways of Yahweh, and have not acted wickedly against my God. 23 "For all His ordinances were before me; and as for His statutes, I did not depart from them. 24 "I was also blameless toward Him, and I kept myself from my iniquity. 25 "Therefore Yahweh has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness before His eyes. 26 "With the kind Thou dost show Thyself kind, with the blameless Thou dost show Thyself blameless; 27 with the pure Thou dost show Thyself pure, and with the perverted Thou dost show Thyself astute. 28 "And Thou dost save an afflicted people; but Thine eyes are on the haughty whom Thou dost abase. 29 "For Thou art my lamp, O Yahweh; and Yahweh illumines my darkness. 30 "For by Thee I can run upon a troop; by my God I can leap over a wall. 31 "As for God, His way is blameless; the word of Yahweh is tested; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. 32 "For who is God, besides Yahweh? And who is a rock, besides our God? 33 "God is my strong fortress; and He sets the blameless in His way. 34 "He makes my feet like hinds' feet, and sets me on my high places. 35 "He trains my hands for battle, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. 36 "Thou hast also given me the shield of Thy salvation, and Thy help makes me great. 37 "Thou dost enlarge my steps under me, and my feet have not slipped. 38 "I pursued my enemies and destroyed them, and I did not turn back until they were consumed. 39 "And I have devoured them and shattered them, so that they did not rise; and they fell under my feet. 40 "For Thou hast girded me with strength for battle; Thou hast subdued under me those who rose up against me. 41 "Thou hast also made my enemies turn their backs to me, and I destroyed those who hated me. 42 "They looked, but there was none to save; even to Yahweh, but He did not answer them. 43 "Then I pulverized them as the dust of the earth, I crushed and stamped them as the mire of the streets. 44 "Thou hast also delivered me from the contentions of my people; Thou hast kept me as head of the nations; a people whom I have not known serve me. 45 "Foreigners pretend obedience to me; as soon as they hear, they obey me. 46 "Foreigners lose heart, and come trembling out of their fortresses. 47 "Yahweh lives, and blessed be my rock; and exalted be God, the rock of my salvation, 48 the God who executes vengeance for me, and brings down peoples under me, 49 Who also brings me out from my enemies; Thou dost even lift me above those who rise up against me; Thou dost rescue me from the violent man. 50 "Therefore I will give thanks to Thee, O Yahweh, among the nations, and I will sing praises to Thy name. 51 "He is a tower of deliverance to His king, and shows lovingkindness to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever."

Psalm 64 For the choir director. A Psalm of David.

1 Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; preserve my life from dread of the enemy. 2 Hide me from the secret counsel of evildoers, from the tumult of those who do iniquity, 3 who have sharpened their tongue like a sword. They aimed bitter speech as their arrow, 4 to shoot from concealment at the blameless; suddenly they shoot at him, and do not fear. 5 They hold fast to themselves an evil purpose; they talk of laying snares secretly; they say, "Who can see them?" 6 They devise injustices, saying, "We are ready with a well-conceived plot"; for the inward thought and the heart of a man are deep. 7 But God will shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly they will be wounded. 8 So they will make him stumble; their own tongue is against them; all who see them will shake the head. 9 Then all men will fear, and will declare the work of God, and will consider what He has done. 10 The righteous man will be glad in Yahweh, and will take refuge in Him; and all the upright in heart will glory.

Romans 9:1-33

1 I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, 4 who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, 5 whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. 6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; 7 neither are they all children because they are Abraham's descendants, but: "through Isaac your descendants will be named." 8 That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. 9 For this is a word of promise: "At this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son." 10 And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; 11 for though the twins were not yet born, and had not done anything good or bad, in order that God's purpose according to His choice might stand, not because of works, but because of Him who calls, 12 it was said to her, "The older will serve the younger." 13 Just as it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." 14 What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! 15 For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." 16 So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth." 18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. 19 You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?" 20 On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, "Why did you make me like this," will it? 21 Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use, and another for common use? 22 What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? 23 And He did so in order that He might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, 24 even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles. 25 As He says also in Hosea, "I will call those who were not My people, 'My people,' And her who was not beloved, 'beloved.'" 26 "And it shall be that in the place where it was said to them, 'you are not My people,' There they shall be called sons of the living God." 27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, "Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that will be saved; 28 for the Lord will execute His word upon the earth, thoroughly and quickly." 29 And just as Isaiah foretold, "Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left to us a posterity, We would have become as Sodom, and would have resembled Gomorrah." 30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 just as it is written, "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, and he who believes in Him will not be disappointed."

Commentary:

True Freedom

(V.16) Chet-Resh-Vav-Tav, the Hebrew word pronounced charut – engraved, can also be pronounced cherut – freedom: the only true path to freedom is the one engraved on the tablets (ancient teaching). Those who live in sin are in bondage to sin. The only real freedom is to be freed by Yeshua, to live as God designed in creation – to produce the fruit of righteousness through faith.

1 John 3:4-5 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness. And you know that (Yeshua) appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.

Romans 7:14 We know that the Law is spiritual; but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin.

John 8:34 Yeshua answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.”

John 8:36 “If the Son shall set you free, then you shall be free indeed”

1 Peter 2:21-24 For you have been called for this purpose, since Messiah also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; . . . and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.

Ephesians 5:6-10 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.

Philippians 1:9-11 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the Day of Messiah; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Messiah Yeshua, to the glory and praise of God.

Colossians 1:9-12 For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

Hebrews 12:6-11 For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives. It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

[Salvation is not by our works, but by grace (the unmerited favor of God) through a faith that produces fruit – good works. It might be noted here, that the word “lawlessness” is used (with the practice being condemned) throughout Scripture, but the word “legalism” is never used (except in certain non-literal translations).]

Qualification of Nation of Priests

(V.19) When Moses saw the people dancing before the golden calf, breaking the entirety of God’s instruction for their freedom, then he threw down the stone tablets, breaking the written instructions that were prepared for their dissemination; atonement would be required before a people could be called “the light of the world,” entrusted with taking God’s written Word to the world.

Judgment

[The following uses the rule of interpreting narration by specific instructions.]

Those who had been warned and yet served the idol were liable to earthly judgment of death, and were killed by the sword (v.27-28). Those who had not been warned, but served the idol intentionally before witnesses, died in the plague (v.35). The suspected unfaithfulness of the others was similar to that of a suspected unfaithful wife (Numbers 5:16-28), so Moses imposed punishment accordingly: the golden calf was ground up and spread on the water, and the people were required to drink of it; only those who had worshipped it died. [Note that Scripture commonly relates adultery to idolatry (Hosea 1:2, Revelation 2:22); and the Second Commandment (against idolatry) of the first tablet – which is the second of five commandments showing us how to love God, parallels the Seventh Commandment (against adultery) – which is the second commandment of the second tablet’s five commandments showing us how to love our neighbor.]

2 Samuel 22:10 "He bowed the heavens also, and came down with thick darkness under His feet. . . . 14 "Yahweh thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered His voice. God’s instruction is not to be taken lightly, nor to be subjected to our own feelings of what is right.

Psalm 64:9-10 Then all men will fear, and will declare the work of God, and will consider what He has done. The righteous man will be glad in Yahweh, and will take refuge in Him; and all the upright in heart will glory.

Romans 9:

27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, "Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that will be saved; 28 for the Lord will execute His word upon the earth, thoroughly and quickly." 29 And just as Isaiah foretold, "Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left to us a posterity, we would have become as Sodom, and would have resembled Gomorrah." 30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 just as it is written, "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, and he who believes in Him will not be disappointed."

Sabbath Twenty (July 27, 2002)

Shemot (Names): Katav-lecha (Write for yourself), commonly called Exodus 34:27 – 36:38 (*Divided for seven Torah readers)

1 Amen* 27 Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel." 28 So he was there with Yahweh forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread or drink water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments. 29 And it came about when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses' hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him. 30 So when Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers in the congregation returned to him; and Moses spoke to them. 32 And afterward all the sons of Israel came near, and he commanded them to do everything that Yahweh had spoken to him on Mount Sinai. 33 When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. 34 But whenever Moses went in before Yahweh to speak with Him, he would take off the veil until he came out; and whenever he came out and spoke to the sons of Israel what he had been commanded, 35 the sons of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone. So Moses would replace the veil over his face until he went in to speak with Him.
35:1 Then Moses assembled all the congregation of the sons of Israel, and said to them, "These are the things that Yahweh has commanded you to do. 2 "For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a holy day, a Sabbath of complete rest to Yahweh; whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. 3 "You shall not kindle a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day."

2 Amen* 4 And Moses spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, "This is the thing which Yahweh has commanded, saying, 5 'Take from among you a contribution to Yahweh; whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as Yahweh's contribution: gold, silver, and bronze, 6 and blue, purple and scarlet material, fine linen, goats' hair, 7 and rams' skins dyed red, and porpoise skins, and acacia wood, 8 and oil for lighting, and spices for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense, 9 and onyx stones and setting stones, for the ephod and for the breastpiece. 10 'And let every skillful man among you come, and make all that Yahweh has commanded: 11 the tabernacle, its tent and its covering, its hooks and its boards, its bars, its pillars, and its sockets; 12 the ark and its poles, the mercy seat, and the curtain of the screen; 13 the table and its poles, and all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence; 14 the lampstand also for the light and its utensils and its lamps and the oil for the light; 15 and the altar of incense and its poles, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the screen for the doorway at the entrance of the tabernacle; 16 the altar of burnt offering with its bronze grating, its poles, and all its utensils, the basin and its stand; 17 the hangings of the court, its pillars and its sockets, and the screen for the gate of the court; 18 the pegs of the tabernacle and the pegs of the court and their cords; 19 the woven garments, for ministering in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister as priests.'"

3 Amen* 20 Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel departed from Moses' presence. 21 And everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit moved him came and brought Yahweh's contribution for the work of the tent of meeting and for all its service and for the holy garments. 22 Then all whose hearts moved them, both men and women, came and brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and bracelets, all articles of gold; so did every man who presented an offering of gold to Yahweh. 23 And every man, who had in his possession blue and purple and scarlet material and fine linen and goats' hair and rams' skins dyed red and porpoise skins, brought them. 24 Everyone who could make a contribution of silver and bronze brought Yahweh's contribution; and every man, who had in his possession acacia wood for any work of the service, brought it. 25 And all the skilled women spun with their hands, and brought what they had spun, in blue and purple and scarlet material and in fine linen. 26 And all the women whose heart stirred with a skill spun the goats' hair. 27 And the rulers brought the onyx stones and the stones for setting for the ephod and for the breastpiece; 28 and the spice and the oil for the light and for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense. 29 The Israelites, all the men and women, whose heart moved them to bring material for all the work, which Yahweh had commanded through Moses to be done, brought a freewill offering to Yahweh.

4 Amen* 30 Then Moses said to the sons of Israel, "See, Yahweh has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 31 "And He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding and in knowledge and in all craftsmanship; 32 to make designs for working in gold and in silver and in bronze, 33 and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, so as to perform in every inventive work. 34 "He also has put in his heart to teach, both he and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. 35 "He has filled them with skill to perform every work of an engraver and of a designer and of an embroiderer, in blue and in purple and in scarlet material, and in fine linen, and of a weaver, as performers of every work and makers of designs.
36:1 "Now Bezalel and Oholiab, and every skillful person in whom Yahweh has put skill and understanding to know how to perform all the work in the construction of the sanctuary, shall perform in accordance with all that Yahweh has commanded." 2 Then Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every skillful person in whom Yahweh had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him, to come to the work to perform it. 3 And they received from Moses all the contributions which the sons of Israel had brought to perform the work in the construction of the sanctuary.

5 Amen* And they still continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning. 4 And all the skillful men who were performing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work which he was performing, 5 and they said to Moses, "The people are bringing much more than enough for the construction work which Yahweh commanded us to perform." 6 So Moses issued a command, and a proclamation was circulated throughout the camp, saying, "Let neither man nor woman any longer perform work for the contributions of the sanctuary." Thus the people were restrained from bringing any more. 7 For the material they had was sufficient and more than enough for all the work, to perform it. 8 And all the skillful men among those who were performing the work made the tabernacle with ten curtains; of fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet material, with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman, Bezalel made them. 9 The length of each curtain was twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains had the same measurements. 10 And he joined five curtains to one another, and the other five curtains he joined to one another. 11 And he made loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set; he did likewise on the edge of the curtain that was outermost in the second set. 12 He made fifty loops in the one curtain and he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was in the second set; the loops were opposite each other. 13 And he made fifty clasps of gold, and joined the curtains to one another with the clasps, so the tabernacle was a unit.

6 Amen* 14 Then he made curtains of goats' hair for a tent over the tabernacle; he made eleven curtains in all. 15 The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and four cubits the width of each curtain; the eleven curtains had the same measurements. 16 And he joined five curtains by themselves, and the other six curtains by themselves. 17 Moreover, he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was outermost in the first set, and he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was outermost in the second set. 18 And he made fifty clasps of bronze to join the tent together, that it might be a unit. 19 And he made a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering of porpoise skins above. 20 Then he made the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood, standing upright. 21 Ten cubits was the length of each board, and one and a half cubits the width of each board. 22 There were two tenons for each board, fitted to one another; thus he did for all the boards of the tabernacle. 23 And he made the boards for the tabernacle: twenty boards for the south side; 24 and he made forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for its two tenons and two sockets under another board for its two tenons. 25 Then for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty boards, 26 and their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board and two sockets under another board. 27 And for the rear of the tabernacle, to the west, he made six boards. 28 And he made two boards for the corners of the tabernacle at the rear. 29 And they were double beneath, and together they were complete to its top to the first ring; thus he did with both of them for the two corners. 30 And there were eight boards with their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets, two under every board.

7 Amen* 31 Then he made bars of acacia wood, five for the boards of one side of the tabernacle, 32 and five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle for the rear side to the west. 33 And he made the middle bar to pass through in the center of the boards from end to end. 34 And he overlaid the boards with gold and made their rings of gold as holders for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold. 35 Moreover, he made the veil of blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen; he made it with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman. 36 And he made four pillars of acacia for it, and overlaid them with gold, with their hooks of gold; and he cast four sockets of silver for them. 37 And he made a screen for the doorway of the tent, of blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen, the work of a weaver; 38 and he made its five pillars with their hooks, and he overlaid their tops and their bands with gold; but their five sockets were of bronze.

Jeremiah 31:31-40

31 "Behold, days are coming," declares Yahweh, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares Yahweh. 33 "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares Yahweh, "I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 "And they shall not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know Yahweh,' for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares Yahweh, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." 35 Thus says Yahweh, Who gives the sun for light by day, And the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; Yahweh of hosts is His name: 36 "If this fixed order departs From before Me," declares Yahweh, "Then the offspring of Israel also shall cease From being a nation before Me forever." 37 Thus says Yahweh, "If the heavens above can be measured, And the foundations of the earth searched out below, Then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel For all that they have done," declares Yahweh. 38 "Behold, days are coming," declares Yahweh, "when the city shall be rebuilt for Yahweh from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 39 "And the measuring line shall go out farther straight ahead to the hill Gareb; then it will turn to Goah. 40 "And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields as far as the brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be holy to Yahweh; it shall not be plucked up, or overthrown anymore forever."

1 Kings 18:27-39

27 And it came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, "Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened." 28 So they cried with a loud voice and cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them. 29 And it came about when midday was past, that they raved until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice; but there was no voice, no one answered, and no one paid attention. 30 Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come near to me." So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of Yahweh which had been torn down. 31 And Elijah took twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of Yahweh had come, saying, "Israel shall be your name." 32 So with the stones he built an altar in the name of Yahweh, and he made a trench around the altar, large enough to hold two measures of seed. 33 Then he arranged the wood and cut the ox in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, "Fill four pitchers with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood." 34 And he said, "Do it a second time," and they did it a second time. And he said, "Do it a third time," and they did it a third time. 35 And the water flowed around the altar, and he also filled the trench with water. 36 Then it came about at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, "O Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that Thou art God in Israel, and that I am Thy servant, and that I have done all these things at Thy word. 37 "Answer me, O Yahweh, answer me, that this people may know that Thou, O Yahweh, art God, and that Thou hast turned their heart back again." 38 Then the fire of Yahweh fell, and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, "Yahweh, He is God; Yahweh, He is God."

Psalm 65 For the choir director. A Psalm of David. A Song.

1 There will be silence before Thee, and praise in Zion, O God; and to Thee the vow will be performed. 2 O Thou who dost hear prayer, To Thee all men come. 3 Iniquities prevail against me; as for our transgressions, Thou dost forgive them. 4 How blessed is the one whom Thou dost choose, and bring near to Thee, to dwell in Thy courts. We will be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house, Thy holy temple. 5 By awesome deeds Thou dost answer us in righteousness, O God of our salvation, Thou who art the trust of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest sea; 6 Who dost establish the mountains by His strength, Being girded with might; 7 Who dost still the roaring of the seas, The roaring of their waves, And the tumult of the peoples. 8 And they who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Thy signs; Thou dost make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy. 9 Thou dost visit the earth, and cause it to overflow; Thou dost greatly enrich it; the stream of God is full of water; Thou dost prepare their grain, for thus Thou dost prepare the earth. 10 Thou dost water its furrows abundantly; Thou dost settle its ridges; Thou dost soften it with showers; Thou dost bless its growth. 11 Thou hast crowned the year with Thy bounty, and Thy paths drip with fatness. 12 The pastures of the wilderness drip, and the hills gird themselves with rejoicing. 13 The meadows are clothed with flocks, and the valleys are covered with grain; they shout for joy, yes, they sing.

2 Corinthians 3:1-18

1 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you? 2 You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 3 being manifested that you are a letter of Messiah, cared for by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts. 4 And such confidence we have through Messiah toward God. 5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, 6 who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 7 But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, 8 how shall the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory. 10 For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory on account of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if that which fades away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory. 12 Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech, 13 and are not as Moses, who used to put a veil over his face that the sons of Israel might not look intently at the end of what was fading away. 14 But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Messiah. 15 But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; 16 but whenever a man turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

Commentary:

Notes:

(V.34:27) Moses glowed after being in the presence of God, but the glow faded as he was in contact with the people. He veiled his face when the glow diminished.

(V.35:3) The commandment prohibiting the lighting of fires on the Sabbath is the basis for lighting candles for Erev Shabbat and Havdallah – before and after Sabbath. This commandment gives us a specific way to distinguish – mark-out – the Sabbath. This may have been part of the oral instruction to Moses or David, as it is apparently prophetic of the Millennial Sabbath. While some say that it applies primarily to cooking, others see it as representing punishment or war – no non-defensive wars are to be started on Sabbath.

The “Thirty-nine Sabbath prohibitions” are derived by the Sabbath work prohibition being stated here, immediately before the thirty-nine kinds of work required (Chapters 35-36) for making the Tabernacle.

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Outline

The Abrahamic Covenant – Land, Seed, Blessings; unconditional, eternal, Gentiles grafted in.
The Mosaic Law and the Renewed Covenant – added to show the way, written on heart.
The “New Testament (Brit Hadashah)” and the “Church”.

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AM 2018: The Abrahamic Covenant – Land, Seed, and Blessings

Genesis 12:1-3 Now Yahweh said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father's house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

Exodus 2:24 God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel).

The three parts of this Covenant were amplified by the ‘Palestinian’ Covenant (land), the Davidic Covenant (seed), and the Renewed Covenant (blessings).

Genesis 17:1-8 Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, Yahweh appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly." And Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying, "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I will make you the father of a multitude of nations. "And I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come forth from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. And I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."

Jeremiah 33:25-26 Thus says Yahweh, “If My covenant for day and night stand not, and the fixed patterns of heaven and earth I have not established, then would I reject the descendants of Jacob and David My servant, not taking from his descendants rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them.”

Jeremiah 31:31-36 "Behold, days are coming," declares Yahweh, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares Yahweh. "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares Yahweh, "I will put My law (Torah) within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And they shall not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know Yahweh,' for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares Yahweh, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more. Thus says Yahweh, Who gives the sun for light by day, and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; Yahweh of hosts is His name: if this fixed order departs from before Me," declares Yahweh, "then the offspring of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me forever."

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AM 2448: The Mosaic Law, which was added 430 years later because of sin, cannot annul the Abrahamic Covenant.

Deuteronomy 4:12 "Then Yahweh spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form-- only a voice. 13 "So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Words (Commandments); and He wrote them on two tablets of stone. 14 "And Yahweh commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might perform them in the land where you are going over to possess it. . . . 25 "When you become the father of children and children's children and have remained long in the land, and act corruptly, and make an idol in the form of anything, and do that which is evil in the sight of Yahweh your God so as to provoke Him to anger, 26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you shall surely perish quickly from the land where you are going over the Jordan to possess it. You shall not live long on it, but shall be utterly destroyed. 27 "And Yahweh will scatter you among the peoples, and you shall be left few in number among the nations, where Yahweh shall drive you. 28 "And there you will serve gods, the work of man's hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. 29 "But from there you will seek Yahweh your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. 30 "When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days, you will return to Yahweh your God and listen to His voice. 31 "For Yahweh your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.

Yeshua came in fulfillment of this Covenant.

Luke 1:68-79 "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of David His servant-- as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old-- salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us; (72) to show mercy toward our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant, the oath which He swore to Abraham our father, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways; to give to His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the Sunrise from on high shall visit us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."

Gentiles are grafted in.

Romans 11:5 In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God's gracious choice. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace. 7 What then? That which Israel is seeking for, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened; 8 just as it is written, "God gave them a spirit of stupor, Eyes to see not and ears to hear not, Down to this very day."10 "Let their eyes be darkened to see not, and bend their backs forever." 11 I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous.12 Now if their transgression be riches for the world and their failure be riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be! 13 But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 14 if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them. 15 For if their rejection be the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 And if the first piece of dough be holy, the lump is also; and if the root be holy, the branches are too. 17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in." 20 Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; 21 for if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will He spare you. 22 Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in; for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more shall these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree? 25 For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in;

The Torah is not understood by those who have not turned to Messiah.

2 Corinthians 3:4 And such confidence we have through the Messiah toward God. 5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, 6 who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 7 But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, 8 how shall the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory. 10 For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory on account of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if that which fades away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory. 12 Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech, 13 and are not as Moses, who used to put a veil over his face that the sons of Israel might not look intently at the end of what was fading away. 14 But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in the Messiah. 15 But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; 16 but whenever a man turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

The Mosaic Law does not nullify the Abrahamic Covenant, but shows the way.
Both Jew and Gentile within Abrahamic Covenant.

Galatians 3:16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, "And to seeds," as referring to many, but rather to one, "And to your seed," that is, Messiah. 17 What I am saying is this: the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. 18 For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise. 19 Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed should come to whom the promise had been made. 20 Now a mediator is not for one party only; whereas God is only one. 21 Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law. 22 But the Scripture has shut up all men under sin, that the promise by faith in Messiah Yeshua might be given to those who believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. 24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to the Messiah, that we may be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Messiah Yeshua. 27 For all of you who were baptized into the Messiah have clothed yourselves with the Messiah. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Messiah Yeshua. 29 And if you belong to the Messiah, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.

Romans 9:6-24 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; neither are they all children because they are Abraham's descendants, but: "through Isaac your descendants will be named." That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. For this is a word of promise: "At this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son." And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; for though the twins were not yet born, and had not done anything good or bad, in order that God's purpose according to His choice might stand, not because of works, but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, "The older will serve the younger." Just as it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth." So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?" On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, "Why did you make me like this," will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use, and another for common use? What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? (23) And He did so in order that He might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.

Romans 11:24-26 For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more shall these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree? (25) For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in; and thus all Israel will be saved;

Ephesians 2:8-22 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Messiah Yeshua for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Therefore remember, that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "Uncircumcision " by the so-called "Circumcision," which is performed in the flesh by human hands— (12) remember that you were at that time separate from the Messiah, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Messiah Yeshua you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Messiah Yeshua Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

Hebrews 8:8 For finding fault with them, He says, “Behold, days are coming”, says Yahweh, “when I will effect a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; 9 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; for they did not continue in My covenant, and I did not care for them, says Yahweh. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” says Yahweh: “I will put My laws into their minds, and I will write them upon their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 11 And they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen, and everyone his brother, saying, 'Know Yahweh,' for all shall know Me, from the least to the greatest of them. 12 For I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” 13 When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.

The Law was “written on our hearts” from Adam, but we have devolved, and need it renewed.

Romans 2:12 For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law; . . . 14 For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, 15 in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness, and their thoughts alternately accusing (self-condemnation) or else excusing them (rationalization), 16 on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Messiah Yeshua.

This refers, not to a “new covenant” state, but to a natural state of unbelievers.

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AM 4000 +: The New Testament and the Church

The collection of sacred books, the Gospels to the Revelation, is misnamed “New Testament.” The term “Brit Hadashah / Renewed Covenant” is defined in Jeremiah 31, and is not represented by a set of books. It is the path of righteousness, written on Adam’s heart but defiled, written on stone tablets in Moses’ day, and to be rewritten on our hearts at our final redemption – thus called renewed.

Israel and “the Church” are often mistakenly seen as two different groups with different destinies. The Church is not under a different covenant than Israel. The Church does not replace Israel: the Church always was Israel – since the wilderness journey (Acts 7:38); some Gentiles are grafted in. What is commonly seen by the world as “the Church” is much different than God’s chosen people.

AD 397: Synod of Hippo Regius in North Africa
First to adopt present form of “Apostolic Canon”.

AD 692: Trullan Synod
Made above Canon official.

Early Fifth Century:
The term “New Testament” is first found to be applied to Scripture by Augustine, and it referred to the whole of accepted canon – inclusive of the Tanach.

Heb. “Qehal” is translated into Gr. “Synogugae” and “Ekklesia”, thence into Eng. “Synagogue” and “Church”.

Sabbath Twenty-one (August 3, 2002)

Shemot (Names): Vaya’as B’tzal-el (Then Betzalel made), commonly called Exodus 37:1 – 38:20 (*Divided for seven Torah readers)

1 Amen* 1 Now Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood; its length was two and a half cubits, and its width one and a half cubits, and its height one and a half cubits; 2 and he overlaid it with pure gold inside and out, and made a gold molding for it all around. 3 And he cast four rings of gold for it on its four feet; even two rings on one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. 4 And he made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. 5 And he put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry it. 6 And he made a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long, and one and a half cubits wide. 7 And he made two cherubim of gold; he made them of hammered work, at the two ends of the mercy seat; 8 one cherub at the one end, and one cherub at the other end; he made the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at the two ends. 9 And the cherubim had their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward each other; the faces of the cherubim were toward the mercy seat.

2 Amen* 10 Then he made the table of acacia wood, two cubits long and a cubit wide and one and a half cubits high. 11 And he overlaid it with pure gold, and made a gold molding for it all around. 12 And he made a rim for it of a handbreadth all around, and made a gold molding for its rim all around. 13 And he cast four gold rings for it and put the rings on the four corners that were on its four feet. 14 Close by the rim were the rings, the holders for the poles to carry the table. 15 And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold, to carry the table. 16 And he made the utensils which were on the table, its dishes and its pans and its bowls and its jars, with which to pour out libations, of pure gold.

3 Amen* 17 Then he made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered work, its base and its shaft; its cups, its bulbs and its flowers were of one piece with it. 18 And there were six branches going out of its sides; three branches of the lampstand from the one side of it, and three branches of the lampstand from the other side of it; 19 three cups shaped like almond blossoms, a bulb and a flower in one branch, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms, a bulb and a flower in the other branch-- so for the six branches going out of the lampstand. 20 And in the lampstand there were four cups shaped like almond blossoms, its bulbs and its flowers; 21 and a bulb was under the first pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the second pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the third pair of branches coming out of it, for the six branches coming out of the lampstand. 22 Their bulbs and their branches were of one piece with it; the whole of it was a single hammered work of pure gold. 23 And he made its seven lamps with its snuffers and its trays of pure gold. 24 He made it and all its utensils from a talent of pure gold.

4 Amen* 25 Then he made the altar of incense of acacia wood: a cubit long and a cubit wide, square, and two cubits high; its horns were of one piece with it. 26 And he overlaid it with pure gold, its top and its sides all around, and its horns; and he made a gold molding for it all around. 27 And he made two golden rings for it under its molding, on its two sides-- on opposite sides-- as holders for poles with which to carry it. 28 And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. 29 And he made the holy anointing oil and the pure, fragrant incense of spices, the work of a perfumer.

5 Amen* 38:1 Then he made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood, five cubits long, and five cubits wide, square, and three cubits high. 2 And he made its horns on its four corners, its horns being of one piece with it, and he overlaid it with bronze. 3 And he made all the utensils of the altar, the pails and the shovels and the basins, the flesh hooks and the firepans; he made all its utensils of bronze. 4 And he made for the altar a grating of bronze network beneath, under its ledge, reaching halfway up. 5 And he cast four rings on the four ends of the bronze grating as holders for the poles. 6 And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. 7 And he inserted the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar, with which to carry it. He made it hollow with planks.

6 Amen* 8 Moreover, he made the laver of bronze with its base of bronze, from the mirrors of the serving women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 9 Then he made the court: for the south side the hangings of the court were of fine twisted linen, one hundred cubits; 10 their twenty pillars, and their twenty sockets, made of bronze; the hooks of the pillars and their bands were of silver. 11 And for the north side there were one hundred cubits; their twenty pillars and their twenty sockets were of bronze, the hooks of the pillars and their bands were of silver. 12 And for the west side there were hangings of fifty cubits with their ten pillars and their ten sockets; the hooks of the pillars and their bands were of silver. 13 And for the east side fifty cubits.

7 Amen* 14 The hangings for the one side of the gate were fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three sockets, 15 and so for the other side. On both sides of the gate of the court were hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three sockets. 16 All the hangings of the court all around were of fine twisted linen. 17 And the sockets for the pillars were of bronze, the hooks of the pillars and their bands, of silver; and the overlaying of their tops, of silver, and all the pillars of the court were furnished with silver bands. 18 And the screen of the gate of the court was the work of the weaver, of blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen. And the length was twenty cubits and the height was five cubits, corresponding to the hangings of the court. 19 And their four pillars and their four sockets were of bronze; their hooks were of silver, and the overlaying of their tops and their bands were of silver. 20 And all the pegs of the tabernacle and of the court all around were of bronze.

1 Kings 8:8-22

8 But the poles were so long that the ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place before the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen outside; they are there to this day. 9 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, where Yahweh made a covenant with the sons of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. 10 And it came about when the priests came from the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of Yahweh, 11 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of Yahweh filled the house of Yahweh. 12 Then Solomon said, "Yahweh has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud. 13 "I have surely built Thee a lofty house, a place for Thy dwelling forever." 14 Then the king faced about and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing. 15 And he said, "Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who spoke with His mouth to my father David and has fulfilled it with His hand, saying, 16 'Since the day that I brought My people Israel from Egypt, I did not choose a city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house that My name might be there, but I chose David to be over My people Israel.' 17 "Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel. 18 "But Yahweh said to my father David, 'Because it was in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well that it was in your heart. 19 'Nevertheless you shall not build the house, but your son who shall be born to you, he shall build the house for My name.' 20 "Now Yahweh has fulfilled His word which He spoke; for I have risen in place of my father David and sit on the throne of Israel, as Yahweh promised, and have built the house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel. 21 "And there I have set a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of Yahweh, which He made with our fathers when He brought them from the land of Egypt." 22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of Yahweh in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven.

23 And he said, "O Yahweh, the God of Israel, there is no God like Thee in heaven above or on earth beneath, who art keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Thy servants who walk before Thee with all their heart, 24 who hast kept with Thy servant, my father David, that which Thou hast promised him; indeed, Thou hast spoken with Thy mouth and hast fulfilled it with Thy hand as it is this day. 25 "Now therefore, O Yahweh, the God of Israel, keep with Thy servant David my father that which Thou hast promised him, saying, 'You shall not lack a man to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your sons take heed to their way to walk before Me as you have walked.' 26 "Now therefore, O God of Israel, let Thy word, I pray Thee, be confirmed which Thou hast spoken to Thy servant, my father David. 27 "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain Thee, how much less this house which I have built! 28 "Yet have regard to the prayer of Thy servant and to his supplication, O Yahweh my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Thy servant prays before Thee today; 29 that Thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, toward the place of which Thou hast said, 'My name shall be there,' to listen to the prayer which Thy servant shall pray toward this place. 30 "And listen to the supplication of Thy servant and of Thy people Israel, when they pray toward this place; hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling place; hear and forgive. 31 "If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath, and he comes and takes an oath before Thine altar in this house, 32 then hear Thou in heaven and act and judge Thy servants, condemning the wicked by bringing his way on his own head and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness. 33 "When Thy people Israel are defeated before an enemy, because they have sinned against Thee, if they turn to Thee again and confess Thy name and pray and make supplication to Thee in this house, 34 then hear Thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of Thy people Israel, and bring them back to the land which Thou didst give to their fathers. 35 "When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain, because they have sinned against Thee, and they pray toward this place and confess Thy name and turn from their sin when Thou dost afflict them, 36 then hear Thou in heaven and forgive the sin of Thy servants and of Thy people Israel, indeed, teach them the good way in which they should walk. And send rain on Thy land, which Thou hast given Thy people for an inheritance. 37 "If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is blight or mildew, locust or grasshopper, if their enemy besieges them in the land of their cities, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is, 38 whatever prayer or supplication is made by any man or by all Thy people Israel, each knowing the affliction of his own heart, and spreading his hands toward this house; 39 then hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling place, and forgive and act and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart Thou knowest, for Thou alone dost know the hearts of all the sons of men, 40 that they may fear Thee all the days that they live in the land which Thou hast given to our fathers. 41 "Also concerning the foreigner who is not of Thy people Israel, when he comes from a far country for Thy name's sake 42 (for they will hear of Thy great name and Thy mighty hand, and of Thine outstretched arm); when he comes and prays toward this house, 43 hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to Thee, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know Thy name, to fear Thee, as do Thy people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by Thy name.

Psalm 66 For the choir director. A Song. A Psalm.

1 Shout joyfully to God, all the earth; 2 sing the glory of His name; make His praise glorious. 3 Say to God, "How awesome are Thy works! Because of the greatness of Thy power, Thine enemies will give feigned obedience to Thee. 4 "All the earth will worship Thee, and will sing praises to Thee; they will sing praises to Thy name." Selah. 5 Come and see the works of God, Who is awesome in His deeds toward the sons of men. 6 He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot; there let us rejoice in Him! 7 He rules by His might forever; His eyes keep watch on the nations; let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah. 8 Bless our God, O peoples, and sound His praise abroad, 9 Who keeps us in life, and does not allow our feet to slip. 10 For Thou hast tried us, O God; Thou hast refined us as silver is refined. 11 Thou didst bring us into the net; Thou didst lay an oppressive burden upon our loins. 12 Thou didst make men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; Yet Thou didst bring us out into a place of abundance. 13 I shall come into Thy house with burnt offerings; I shall pay Thee my vows, 14 which my lips uttered and my mouth spoke when I was in distress. 15 I shall offer to Thee burnt offerings of fat beasts, with the smoke of rams; I shall make an offering of bulls with male goats. Selah. 16 Come and hear, all who fear God, and I will tell of what He has done for my soul. 17 I cried to Him with my mouth, and He was extolled with my tongue. 18 If I regard wickedness in my heart, Yahweh will not hear; 19 but certainly God has heard; He has given heed to the voice of my prayer. 20 Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer, nor His lovingkindness from me.

1 John 1

1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and our hands handled, concerning the Word of Life-- 2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us-- 3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, that you also may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Yeshua the Messiah. 4 And these things we write, so that our joy may be made complete. 5 And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Yeshua His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

Commentary:

Timeline: years are A.M. (Year of the World) – from creation.
2448 – Tabernacle completed. Ark of Covenant made.
               480 years
2928 – Solomon’s Temple completed.
                  36 years
2964 – Kingdom split: Israel and Judah.
                241 years
3205 – 10 tribes of Israel exiled.
                133 years
3298 – Ark hidden after 850 years.
3338 – Babylonians destroy Temple; Judah and Benjamin exiled.
                70 year exile
3408 – Second Temple completed.
                420 years
3828 – (70 AD) Second Temple destroyed; exile under Edom (Rome).
                Temple times – 900 years. Tabernacle-Temple times – 1380 years.
These were the times of animal offerings.
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For nine weeks we have been studying the meaning of the building of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness. On this tenth study week, the Tabernacle is completed. What is the significance to us?

This Tabernacle was a temporary structure, made of wood and cloth, as well as gold, silver, and brass. It would be moving around in the desert, ending up in Jerusalem, for 480 years.

Then the “eternal” Temple would be built, a structure of great stones, keeping the gold and silver and brass from the Tabernacle. The Temple would be stand for 900 years, save 70 years when it was destroyed and rebuilt. (As noted previously, Sadducees would only exist for its last 200 years, and when they finally tried to control Temple proceedings, were met with rioting.)

This is the place where the Creator-Judge (Elohim) and Merciful One (Yahweh) formally met with man, from where the Word of Yahweh would be sent to man. “The Torah shall go forth from Zion, and the Word of Yahweh from Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:3). This is the place from where “the Prophets of Jerusalem” (Jeremiah 23:14) come to us, and the “messengers of the synagogues / angels of the churches” (Rev. 2 & 3).

This is the place men were commanded to meet with Yahweh three times a year, to rehearse redemption, betrothal, and marriage feasts (Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, and Tabernacles – Exodus 23:14). Incidentally, the people going up to Jerusalem danced for joy on their way; but there was no dancing in Temple worship: their joy was in being able to go to the place where they could meet with God (Psalm 122:1)! People would “run to the House of God” (), but then had to go through a mikveh, and climb irregular stairs that promoted serious, purposeful consideration. In the Temple, the mood was standing in prayer, and sacrifice. (Psalm 134, Isaiah 56:7, 2 Chronicles 7:12).

This is the place we are to “pray towards” (1 Kings 8:29-30). This is the place where men would come before the Holy One to confess sin and find atonement – the place of animal offerings.

Part of God’s holiness (His distinction) is: He is Truth. And we are told to be holy, as He is holy (Leviticus 11:44, 1 Peter 1:16): He desires truth in our innermost being (Psalm 51:6).

Today, sin is taken lightly. “White lies” are acceptable, even taught as appropriate “where the situation demands”. Consider: what if, every time we realized that something we had said was untrue, we would have to buy an animal, take it to the Temple, confess our sin over it, and slit its throat while a priest held it. And only then could we expect God to accept our repentance as genuine. Would that not cause us to take truthfulness more seriously?

In a recent study in the news, the average person lied many times per hour. It is common in conversation to misrepresent parts of stories, and just make up stories, often for no identifiable reason. It is common to repeat gossip because of trust in the source. Doctrinally, people frequently assert ideas for which they have no basis, except that they believe such as “truth”. Unrepentant liars are going to have to account to God for their lies (Psalm 66:3)!

Yeshua said (Matthew 5:6), “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied,” and (Luke 11:9-13) “And I say to you, ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it shall be opened. Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”

Let us desire holiness, let us seek righteousness, let us uphold honesty, wholeheartedly.
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Psalm 66 “For the Conductor, a song with musical accompaniment.”

This is the Psalm-of-the-Day for the sixth day of “Passover” (Unleavened Bread) – the celebration of redemption.

(Zephaniah 3:9) “Then I will transform the nations to a pure language, that they may call upon the Name of Yahweh to serve Him with one consent.” (V.4) They will sing to Your Name. Selah. The previous songs of redemption (Song of Moses – Mi Chamocha) were short lived, interrupted by destruction and exile; but at our final redemption, they (the Song of Moses and the Lamb – Mi Chamocha – Rev.15:3) will continue eternally.

If you have ever seen God deliver you from a situation, by bringing calamity upon someone perpetrating a wrong against you, then you have an inkling of what David means (v.3): How awesome is the work of Elohim – the creator who judges His creation! The rebellious should fear to exalt themselves – think on that (v.7)!

(V.13-16) We are to enter God’s House with praise and prayer ascending to heaven. We are to fulfill what we say we will do, and confess our failings. We are to tell the world of His wondrous dealings with us.

(V.20) David ends with, “Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer, nor His lovingkindness from me.”

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