Just as the trumpet blast during Rosh Hashanah (aka Yom Teruah) and God’s other appointments were calls to awe and joy in Heaven, so too, the resurrection and transformation on the Day of the LORD will be a happy time — for those with their hearts tuned to Heaven’s station.
Amid all the disasters foretold to be coming on the world during this time, there’s the good news that the Messiah will be bringing the misery of a sin-stained world to an end.
https://hallel.info/trumpets-2022/
“Be strong and courageous.” Imagine getting that advice as you’re being sent out to accomplish something you feel totally unprepared for. Those were some of the last words Moshe (Moses) left as Israel was about to enter the Promised Land. What counts is how much trust you have in the one in charge. That baton was passing, but the people had to remember the One ultimately leading and fighting for them.
This week’s Torah section, וַיֵּלֶךְ Vayelech (“he went,” Deut. 31:1-30), introduces what’s really the second verse of the “song of Moses,” mentioned in Rev. 15:3. The first verse was in Exodus 15.
Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) taught that the life choices that are truly profitable long-term aren’t obvious to those with the worldview of the now (John 12:25).
That teaching parallels the main theme of the Torah reading נִצָּבִים Nitzavim (“standing,”Deut. 29:9-30:20): “choose life.” One would think that choosing life over death would be a no-brainer, but we learn that this command is simultaneously easy and extremely difficult.
In the previous Torah reading, כי תבוא Ki Tavo, we learned the importance of having character that survives stressors big and small. This week’s portion, נִצָּבִים Nitzavim (“standing,” Deut. 29:9–30:20), underscores the building blocks of that character: loving the LORD with all our heart, soul, strength and mind. We learn that the “New Covenant,” or “New Testament” really isn’t so new, but choosing a lifestyle that leads to life and not death does require us to leave our old “dead works” behind.
There’s an old saying, “Good fences make good neighbors.” And the Torah reading תבוא Ki Tavo (“when you come in,” Deut. 26:1–29:8) emphasizes that blessings flow from God to people who establish and enforce proper boundaries.
Those include not only fences around property but also fences that clearly establish economic, spiritual and moral boundaries. But there can be no “wealth of nations” without “moral sentiments.”
This is an often overlooked lesson from Messiah Yeshua’s parable of the prodigal son.
The Torah reading רְאֵה Re’eh (“see,” Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17) focuses on explaining the Second, Third and Fourth Commandments. Because of all the talk these days about misinformation, we’re going to focus on Heaven’s instructions for discerning truth from error and falsehood. And that’s drawn from Moshe’s elucidation on the Third Commandment, found in Deuteronomy 13:1–14:21.
And from that command we learn why it is so important to know Who the LORD is and why Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ) came to “show us the Father.”
https://hallel.info/reeh-2022/
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.