Author: Jeff

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Discussions Shabbat Torah

God humbled a superpower to free His people from slavery (Exodus 1–5)

God humbled a superpower to free His people from slavery (Exodus 1-5)

It’s cold comfort while we’re suffering to understand that learning how to endure it will make us stronger (James 1:2–4). And it can seem cruel to watch such a struggle from the outside, thinking someone with power should step up and stop it.

That heart cry for deliverance is the focus of the Torah reading שמות Shemot (“names,” Exodus 1:1–6:1). Amid the passage’s exploration of the key question of why the Kingdom of Heaven that spoke the Earth into existence seems to be unable or unwilling to stop the oppression of one of its superpowers — Mitzraim (Egypt) — there’s the subtle hit of Heaven’s coming knockout blow to that bully.

The Holy One blessed about three-score and 10 Israeli immigrants, lifting Mitzraim above its neighbors during a punishing famine while multiplying Israel’s numbers at a rate that was frightening to a pharaoh who thought he was in control of his own destiny. Just think what Heaven will do for those who cry out for relief.

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Discussions Torah

Genesis 44:18–47:27: Yosef foreshadows Yeshua’s grace

"Joseph Reveals Himself to His Brothers (Gen. 45:1-24)" by Gustave Doré, 1866
Gustave Doré (1832-1883), "Joseph Reveals Himself to His Brothers (Gen. 45:1-24)," Doré's English Bible, wood engraving, Wikimedia Commons, 1866.

Aesop’s ancient saying “familiarity breeds contempt” could easily sum up how Yosef’s brothers treated him in his early years and how many leaders of Yisra’el treated Yeshua. The prophetic parallels between Yosef and Yeshua the Mashiakh sharpen further in the Torah section Vayigash (“he approached”).

In it, the brothers’ contempt turns to fear when they realize their plots against Yosef have put them at his mercy. It’s also a picture of the Day of the LORD, when Yisra’el then the world must confess, “Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the LORD.”

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Discussions Torah

Genesis 37–40: What’s your legacy in the Kingdom of God?

"Judah and Tamar" by School of Rembrandt, c. 1650-1660
School of Rembrandt, "Judah and Tamar," Wikipedia Commons, c. 1650-1660

Are you living where God wants you to live? That’s the question the LORD explored with Yosef and Yehudah in the Torah section Vayeshev, which means “and he dwelled.” It introduces in earnest the two main characters ― biblically, called “houses” ― in the leadership of Israel’s legacy, the knowledge of and connection with the Creator.

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Discussions Torah

Genesis 28:10–32:2: Underestimating the strength of the ‘weak’

"Jacob's Dream" by William Blake, c. 1805
William Blake, "Jacob's Dream," Wikimedia Commons , c. 1805

When the righteous look like they are going to be beaten and overcome by evil, watch out. In the Torah passage Vayetze (“he went out,” Genesis 28:10-32:2), we encounter Ya’akov’s fleeing Eysau’s death threat to Laban’s house then fleeing death threats of his brothers-in-law. Truly, the party who appears to be weaker actually is stronger. Although we are surrounded by those who will call us fools because we believe in God, we will witness our vindication, just as Ya’akov did, if we are patient.

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Discussions Torah

Genesis 23:1–25:18: Sarah’s ‘lives’ and our ‘new creation’

When we are pushed to our limits, God promises us that the ways of the Kingdom of God are far more profitable in the long term than trying to avoid pain. That’s what Abraham and Sarah learned over many years of their lives. It’s all the more relevant today for increasing social and physical pressure put on believers in the Holy One of Israel and the Anointed One of God. This lesson of faith is the backdrop of the Torah section Chayei Sarah (“life of Sarah,” Gen. 23:1–25:18).

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Discussions Torah

Genesis 12–17: From old self to ‘new creation’ in Abraham’s footsteps

Studies in Torah

Apostle Paul called Abraham the “father of us all,” those born in Israel and those who have faith like his (Rom. 4:16). The following is a discussion of Torah passage Lech Lecha (“go forth” or “get going,” Genesis 12-17). In it, we see Abraham’s first move of faith in leaving his homeland for some unknown destination Heaven was leading him toward. His response is an inspiration to us all.

Abraham’s first move of faith was leaving his homeland for some unknown destination Heaven was leading him toward. His journey plus that of Israel from bondage in Egypt parallels our path on The Way from the person we used to be to the “new creation” God has started in us through Yeshua haMashiakh (Jesus the Christ).

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Discussions Torah

Genesis 1:1–6:8: God commanded, but why should I listen?

Studies in Torah

If you were to chop off Genesis 1–5, you would not be able to competently answer this about the instructions and teachings of the Father and Messiah: “Why should I do that?” Two-thirds of children from Christian homes will walk away from their faith to varying degrees, and one of the main reasons for that fall off is they are not given honest answers about the authority of the Scriptures.