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Discussions Jubilee Prophets and Writings Sabbatical Year

What happens when we take Heaven’s mercy for granted (Jeremiah 16–17)

What happens when we take Heaven's mercy for granted (Jeremiah 16-17)

“It’s good to be king!” Except when invaders are about to conquer your kingdom because of your predecessors forgot Who put the crown on their heads and Who gave them the Land they ruled. The closing chapters of the Bible book of Vayiqra (Leviticus) foretell of Israel’s dystopian future, but it didn’t have to be that way. The companion passage to the Torah reading בְּהַר Behar / בְּחֻקֹּתַי Bechukotai (“on the mountain” / “in My statutes,” Leviticus 25–27), shows a moment just before that horror arrived when a king tried to reverse centuries of oppression in the Promised Land, Heaven’s mercy for Israel and the world.

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Torah readings

Parashot Behar (בהר) & Bechukotai (בחקותי): Leviticus 25–27

Studies in Torah

We’ve all had days when we are so physically or mentally exhausted that we long to go home and relax, or better yet, nap. The LORD gave our forefathers in faith memorials and reminders in time to nudge us to seek Him Who can truly bring us rest from guilt, fear, loneliness, etc. That’s the lesson in the combined Torah readings בְּהַר  Behar (“on mount” Sinai) and בְּחֻקֹּתַי Bechukotai (“in My statutes”) that wraps up the book of Leviticus.

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Discussions Torah

‘You are the light of the world’: Importance of an ‘othered’ people for a world dismayed by darkness (Leviticus 21–24)

'You are the light of the world': Importance of an 'other' peoplee for a world dismayed by the darkness (Leviticus 21-24)

The otherness (aka holiness) of the Kingdom of God can be a preservative for the world and an offense. Heaven’s messages and messengers can bring life-saving hope or abhorrent reminders of a life that’s being squandered. A key lesson from the Torah reading אָמַר Emor (“say,” Leviticus 21–24) is the ongoing and recurring work Heaven does through us by way of Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ).

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Apostolic Writings Discussions Torah

Toward a more relevant Torah for today’s world (Leviticus 16–20)

Toward a more relevant Torah for today's world (Leviticus 16-20). Image of a mezzuzah at an angle above a Torah text.

Some are concerned about making the Bible more relevant to modern society, by playing down or sidestepping the “icky” or seemingly backward depictions and instructions in it. However, among the key lessons from the dual Torah reading אחרי מות Acharei Mot (“after the deaths”) and קדושים Kedoshim (“holies/holy”) (Leviticus 16–20) is that the what seems obsolete is anything but that — especially for how they undergird the gospel of Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus).

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Announcements

How you can help those in need in Santa Rosa

The kitchen crew of Jesus Cares 2020 Ministries prepares to feed needy people in downtown Santa Rosa.

Jesus Cares 2020 Ministries in downtown Santa Rosa has an ongoing need for clothing, shelter items and personal care products. Here’s a list.

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Torah readings

Parashot Acharei Mot (אחרי מות) & Kedoshim (קדושים): Leviticus 16–20

Studies in Torah

Should we feel shame for going against the Creator’s instructions? What do we do about that guilt?

Discussed at length in the New Testament letter to the Hebrews, Yom haKippurim (Day of Atonement) is one of the most important lessons in the parables connected to the Moedim (appointed times) of the LORD and the Tabernacle. It teaches the grace and mercy the Creator offers by covering all offenses, pointing to the work of the Mashiakh (Christ).

Also part of the dual readings of אחרי מות Acharei Mot (“after the deaths,” Leviticus 16–18) and קדושים Kedoshim (“holies/holy,” Leviticus 19–20) are instructions on eating blood, nakedness and sexual perversion, discernment of things that shouldn’t go together, the “golden rule” and banishment from the people of Israel.

Yom haKippurim is about freedom from the old life and getting closer to the Giver of Life.

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Discussions Prophets and Writings Torah

‘He has carried our sicknesses’: Heaven’s prescription for a world that doesn’t know it’s ill (Leviticus 13–15)

'He has carried our sicknesses': Heaven's prescription for a world that doesn't know it's ill (Leviticus 13-15)

The human condition is often ugly and gross. Yet the Creator still wants to live among us. He wants to deliver us out of the grossness and corruption of our culture. Yeshua (Jesus) sat with sinners, but He didn’t sin with them. That’s the lesson behind all the icky instructions in the dual Torah reading Torah readings תַזְרִיעַ Tazria (“she will conceive”) and מְּצֹרָע Metzora (“leper”) covering Leviticus 12–15.