Author: Daniel

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Discussions Prophets and Writings Torah

Have you built a resting place for God? Lessons from Abraham’s and David’s approaches

Have you built a resting place for God? Lessons from Abraham's and David's approaches (Genesis 23:1-25:18; 1Chronicles 21:7-22:1)

In the Torah reading חיי שרה Chayei Sarah (“Sarah’s life,” Gen. 23:1–25:18), we see the lengths Abraham goes to buy this final resting place for his wife Sarah, including his refusal to bury her on a Gentile’s property and his insistence on paying full price (or more) for a solid guarantee of ownership. It’s a lesson not lost on Abraham’s descendant King David, who 1,000 or so years later needed to buy a resting place for God Himself.  It’s because of the Son of God — Yeshua (Jesus) — that Abraham, David, and all those who love God will receive the reward of living with God in a regenerated body, in the future place of rest.

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Apostolic Writings Discussions Prophets and Writings Torah

How 1 act of kindness can change your life: 3 great women of faith

Rivkah, Ruth, Photini (Samaritan woman at the well): How one act of kindness can change your life (Genesis 24-28; John 4)

The legacy of Abraham’s wife Sarah, the focus of Torah reading חיי שרה Chayei Sarah (“Sarah’s life,” Gen. 23:1–25:18), is not only her future daughter-in-law Rivkah (Rebecca) but also distant relatives Ruth and the Samaritan woman Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) met at the well.

These women, just as Sarah before them, extended acts of kindness and mercy to a stranger who would change their lives forever and they were rewarded for their kindnesses to strangers with a permanent connection with the Messiah.

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Discussions Prophets and Writings Torah

Heaven in our likeness: Adam & Eve’s revolutionary views on God (Genesis 2–3; Isaiah 42)

Adam & Eve's revolutionary views on God: A timeless warning against creating Heaven in our likeness (Genesis 2-3; Isaiah 42)

God made mankind as the pinnacle of creation. He created us to aspire to do things beyond our reach, to learn about the world beyond our horizons and to change our environment.

Men and women are pre-programmed to seek out our purpose in relation to each other and to the world at large. This gives us the ability to either accomplish great good in the world or great evil.

And that’s where the lessons come in from Adam and Eve’s choice between the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life, recorded in the Torah reading רֵאשִׁ֖ית Beresheet (“in the beginning,” Gen. 1:1–6:8). We can learn from them to choose the path that leads to life, rather than the one that leads to death.

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Discussions Torah

Why are the righteous punished with the guilty? How can the righteous save the guilty? (Deuteronomy 7–9)

That's not fair! Why are the righteous punished with the guilty? How can the righteous save the guilty? (Deuteronomy 7-9)

Here’s a key point in Moshe’s talk with the second generation of Israel freed from Mitzraim (Egypt), as recorded in עקב Ekev/Eikev (“consequence,” Deut. 7:12-11:25): Teach the next generation how to be righteous, or they will slip into sin and corruption.

Discover how this is fundamental to Heaven’s mission through Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ), that the righteousness of One can save the many who have suffered since the sin of one, Adam.

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Discussions Torah

How you can recognize the Antichrist (Numbers 22–24)

How to recognize the Antichrist (Numbers 22-24)

The prophet Bilam (Balaam), described in the Torah reading בָּלָק Balak (Numbers 22:2–25:9), was a gentile prophet from the ancient country of Aram. We see that even though Bilam was a Gentile, he was a prophet of God.

God did not only send prophets to Israel. God, in His mercy, sent prophets to all the nations of the world.

Unfortunately, we meet with Bilam, not in his early years when God first called him to prophetic office, when his heart was open to God. Instead, we are meeting Bilam at the point when his evil inclination has overtaken the good in him. We follow along with him as his greed, corruption and vanity lead him to his downfall, which was so complete, that his story is given to us a template of how the Antichrist will one day function in the world, deceiving, if possible, the elect.

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Discussions Prophets and Writings Torah

How the 10 spies of the Promised Land reveal the dangers of confirmation bias (Numbers 13–14; Joshua 2; Matthew 10)

Confirmation bias: Only a strong faith in God can cut through fear and bias (Numbers 13-14; Joshua 2)

It is human nature to engage in confirmation bias. We have certain closely cherished beliefs, and we will give more weight to facts that confirm those beliefs versus facts that contradict those beliefs.

The Torah reading שלח Shelakh (“send,” Numbers 13–15) recounts how 10 “spies” of ancient Israel returned from the Promised Land with an “evil report.” They brought back the same basic facts about the geography, agriculture and social structure of the people currently living there.

The only difference was their interpretation of those facts. They looked at land through the bias of the world, while Joshua and Caleb looked at the same facts and view them through their bias of faith in the power of God. 

In Joshua 2, Rahab of Jericho overlooked her bias to see which deity was truly worth following. And in Matthew 10, Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) sent out His closest students with instructions to not be biased by the opposition they faced.

We easily and often fall into the same trap.

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Discussions Jubilee Pentecost/Shavuot Tabernacles Tithe & Finances Torah

How to be a dependable part of Heaven’s rescue mission to Earth (Leviticus 25)

How to be a dependable part of Heaven's rescue mission to Earth (Leviticus 25). Shown is a mountain climber helping another climber to get to the top.

The Torah reading בְּהַר Behar (“on mount” [Sinai]; Leviticus 25) teaches us how to be a kinsman-redeemer. It’s a beautiful ancient role for a family member with the character to step up and bail out a relative who has fallen on hard times.

The Bible book of Ruth provides an example of such a redeemer in action, and the Messiah is foretold to be the ultimate one for the world.

In the greater family of God on Earth, the lessons of the annual festivals of Shavuot (Pentecost) and Sukkot (Tabernacles) plus the multiyear cycles of Shemitah (sabbatical year) and Yobel (Jubilee) instruct us in how to be of service to the less fortunate within our sphere of influence.

A successful kinsman-redeemer helps others with the blessing of means that God has provided. We are not called to go into debt to help others, we are not compelled by God to drown ourselves to save someone else. 

From these cyclical memorials of God in action past, present and future, we also can learn how God is building up His Kingdom. It starts with the call of individuals then nations into His Kingdom to live as citizens in His presence.